Truths and Reconciliation
by Sakura123
Summary: Presumably the only survivors of the Aegis VII and USG Ishimura incidents, Gabe Weller and Lexine Murdoch spend the next three years growing closer together on the Sprawl under the false belief they've left the nightmare behind them. For the "24hour themes" writing challenge. Rated M: contains strong language and violence. Formerly titled, "Space Stations are Nothing But Trouble".
1. Prologue: Year 2508 I, 24:00 AM

**Truths and Reconciliation**

* * *

**Title:** Truths and Reconciliation

**Author:** Sakura123 (weber_dubois22)

**Rating:** M (for strong language and descriptive violence)

**Summary:** Presumably the only survivors of the Aegis VII and USG Ishimura incidents, Gabe Weller and Lexine Murdoch spend the next three years growing closer together on the Sprawl under the false belief they've left the nightmare behind them. For the "24hour_themes" writing challenge; contains strong language and violence.

**Characters:** (Primary) Gabe Weller, Lexine Murdoch-Weller – (Minor): Victor Bartlett, Nicole Brennan, Warren Eckhart; Nathan McNeill, Isaac Clarke, EarthGov, Hans Tiedemann, OFC, OMC

**Written:** 12/31/2012

**Disclaimer:** _Dead Space_ and all things involved are property of Visceral Games and EA Games. I own nothing except the idea for this story.

**Author's Note:** Chapters are denoted by year dates

**2508** – _Extraction/Dead Space_, Post-_Extraction/Dead Space_

**2509** – Post-_Extraction_/_Dead Space_

**2510** – Pre-_Dead Space 2_/_Severed_

**2511** – _Dead Space 2_/_Severed_, Post-_Dead Space 2_/_Severed_

* * *

**Title:** Year 2508 I

**Prompt:** (24:00/12:00AM) Writer's Choice

* * *

McNeill is dead.

It's barely been an hour since we departed from the _Ishimura_ and this happens. I should've insisted he take care of that arm immediately. There was no telling how much blood he lost before he reached us. I was just so relieved to be out of that hell hole that I didn't - wasn't thinking.

I'm no scientist, I don't know how this thing spreads; bites, wounds, physical contact, airborne? He seemed fine for a guy who lobbed his own arm off. He wasn't talking gibberish, he didn't go off on me like the Rookie.

Nothing, he was fine, so why did this happen?

I didn't even want to believe it at first. Figured when Lexine came crawling out of the back she happened across one of those things that got aboard before we took off.

Then I saw… it was wearing Nate's clothes, it still had bits of his hair, features. All of it - it wasn't like it used to be, but I knew it was him.

Lexine is a mess, the poor girl hasn't stopped crying since she finished it- Nate off. She's in the cockpit right now.

I've put the body in the back and locked the door, but, there's something about their bodies, makes them stink to high hell, even if they haven't been dead for long. I had to bypass the quarantine procedures after it shut the ship down. I've no idea if the station'll let us aboard with this thing in here.

Hell, I'm not sure we should even go now. We might cause another outbreak… or worse, be blamed for what happened on the _Ishimura_ and Aegis VII.

It's a little after midnight, we're still a ways from the Sprawl. I slept some thanks to the pain killer Lexine gave me, but gunshot wound stings like a bitch and I'm too wound up to think of sleeping. I know he's dead, but I can't help but think… that he'll get back up.

If I'm able, I'll record a more formal report, if I should. Right now, I just want to forget about this nightmare. And come to think of it, I think I'll jettison his body before we reach the Titan. It doesn't feel right, leaving him in there to be found for containment protocol. He doesn't deserve to be remembered as a monster.

- Sergeant Gabe Weller, signing out.

* * *

**Author's Note:** As I combat the urge to write Maxine instead of Lexine, hello and welcome to my first ever _Dead Space_ fic. My primary interest in the series, funny enough, began with _Dead Space 2: Severed_ and grew with _Dead Space: Extraction_ and I rather worked my way backward from there. Sufficed to say, the DS2 DLC and Wii-game turned PSN/DS2 incentive is the _Halo: Reach_ to my _Halo 3: ODST_, which is to say they are my favorite games of the series, starring my favorite characters - primarily because they tell the same story from different perspectives. (Rather wish they'd just made _Severed_ a spin-off game or just made it longer. It's lovely, but it's got "rush job" written all over it, especially once you reach the final level.)

That said, like most of my drabble collections this is an attempt flesh out what is suspiciously left untouched on the other side of the DS universe unrelated to Isaac Clarke. I.E., **Lexine Murdoch-Weller** and **Gabriel Weller**'s time and relationship as spent on Titan Station before the Necromorph outbreak. I figure by 2510, they got married and started trying for a baby, but who's to say it wasn't earlier and the relationship just worked out like that, lovely and ironic as the two of them together is: D? As usual I'm running into issues with the Timeline because someone thought it was a good idea not to be specific about when Isaac's lifeboat was picked up (how long he was out there), when exactly the _Ishimura_ was found by the Magpies and when either were recovered by EarthGov (2508, 2509 or 2510). I'm driving myself nuts about it because "stickler is sticker for canonical accuracy". Regardless, enjoy the story and apologies for any errors on my part.


	2. Year 2508 II, 12:00PM

**Title:** Year 2508 II

**Prompt:** (12:00PM) Writer's Choice

* * *

For all the trouble a quarantine lockdown brought for their rag-tag team of survivors, Lexine had to admit, it was rather amusing to watch Mr. Weller bang on the glass wall that kept him separated from the rest of them.

Nicole Brennan was professionally apologetic for leaving his tube and breaking the protocol that triggered the quarantine, but Lexine wasn't terribly put off by the idea of not hearing him order everyone about in otherwise controlled situation. She didn't wish ill on Mr. Weller, but his temperament was far too abrasive for her tastes. Nate managed to take control of a situation without being so coarse, even hushed up Eckhardt's gnawing duress without so much as glaring. (Not that she minded when Weller glared at Eckhardt.)

And to think her, a surveyor of all people, a liability! Sure, she was no expert with a gun, but she thought herself a little more helpful than Eckhardt that was for certain.

"How much longer will he be?" Speaking of the devil; Lexine turned on her right heel, the tip of her left foot facing the floor. Warren was pacing back and forth, his arms swinging anxiously as he moved from one end of the room to the other, careful to always keep away from the edges of the environment.

"It's only been fifteen minutes, Eckhardt, I'm sure Nate's moving as fast as he can," She told him. The CEC director stopped to regard her, his entire body coming to a halt as quick as the gears in his head started moving. Ever since she had Nicole examine her to pinpoint the cause of her headaches, Eckhardt had been terribly curious of her medical records. Perhaps he was just worried about her, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy. "You're right, Lexine, of course," He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "I just don't like all this waiting. Those things could be surrounding us at this very moment and we've no one to protect us."

"Well, if worse comes to worse, we can always leave them to Weller," She joked. "He'll take care of them, I'm sure." Lexine turned to eye the _Ishimura_ officer with a grin, he responded with the tilt of his head and one eyebrow raised high enough to touch his hairline. Nicole followed Lexine's line of sight over to Weller and shook her head in dismissive manner, Weller fell back against the wall of his tube and folded his arms. To describe his expression as agitated would be an understatement, Lexine thought. Across from her, Warren appeared to actually consider her words then shook his head and resumed pacing.

"Lexine, did you have anyone waiting for you planetside?" Nicole's voice was tentative when she breached the question. Lexine shook her head; she put the idea of returning to Aegis VII out of her head since reaching the _Ishimura_. It'd been around twelve o'clock in the afternoon when the madness finally hit her. Sitting in the P-Sec HQ, things couldn't have been more mundane for her when someone came crashing through the door, screaming with a mouthful of blood running down what remained of their jaw. Thinking of that and how quickly the murder spree seemed to sweep over the area, the chances of her family's survival were slim. "I—I don't know, I don't think so. My father, he was in the megavents when all of this occurred. He could be dead for all know, the place was completely overrun," She replied.

Nicole hummed, placing a gloved hand on her left forearm. "Is it really so bad down there? Everything I've heard from the Captain is that were a few outbreaks of some weird sickness. Nothing as a severe as what you've all told me," Nicole said, her brow creasing with concern. Lexine parted her lips to speak when the orange lights flickering above them shifted to a sterile white.

"Quarantine procedures have now been lifted," Relayed the computerized voice. "Thank you for your patience." Nicole closed the distance between herself and Weller's tube, punching in the code she lowered the glass and Weller stepped out with a look of relief. Nicole stopped him with one hand on his chest and raised a single finger, dutifully he followed it's every move without incident and took a couple steps more away from the tube.

"No, dizzy spells?"

"No."

"Any nausea?"

"Nothing, doctor," Weller added.

"So, how are you feeling, then, Mr. Weller?" Nicole inquired plainly.

"Just about ready to leave this place, thanks," He responded, pressing two fingers two his earpiece. "McNeil, are you there?"

Lexine rolled her eyes and approached the doctor with a small smile. "Thank you for all your help, Nicole. I don't think we'd last much longer if you hadn't found us."

"Sure we would've. We were doing just fine," Weller huffed, moving off to the side. Nicole rolled her eyes good naturedly, implying she was far too familiar with Weller's type of behavior. She clasped Lexine's hands with her own and thumbed her knuckles the way she remembered her grandmother did whenever she was worried. "It's not a problem, Lexine, anything I can do to help," Nicole told her.

* * *

**(TBC)**


	3. Year 2508 IV, 02:00AM

**Title:** Year 2508 IV

**Prompt:** (02:00/2AM) "Ridding partnerships or relationships of negativity."

* * *

Nathan was gone, off to disarm the ADS canons in preparation for their escape. Lexine felt relatively naked without him at her side, her anxiety often peeking when he was too far. There was no safe space for on the _Ishimura_ anymore; whatever chances of salvaging the ship Nathan or Weller-

Oh, shit, Weller! She turned around on clumsy feet. Weller looked to be on his last breath (so to speak), as he tried not to squirm from the pain evident on his ornery face. He was too busy muttering to profanities to himself to even consider her a concern. Kneeling in front of him, Lexine placed a steady hand on his ankle. He stopped moving to regard her with half open eyes. "Is there anything I can do?" She asked. "I know I'm not a doctor, but I think I can patch that up." Weller blinked few times at her as if he was considering bleeding to death was preferable to answering her question.

He couldn't be that bullheaded, could he? "Sargent-!" Reaching over, she gave his shoulder a rough shake that elicited a little more than a cry of pain from him. Weller's fist smashed the ground next to him, from the way it went up he looked about ready to clobber her. "Damnit, Lex, I heard you," He hissed through his teeth.

"You're bleeding out, Weller. Tell me what I can do!" She cried, angry at his resistance.

"Find some painkiller, bandages, anything that's clean enough to stop the bleeding," He answered finally. Lexine was on her feet in an instant. Turning in a half circle, she checked and double checked the walls for medical kits. "What are you doing, turning about like a moa for? Check the shuttle," Weller groused, banging his head against the wall. Lexine did a double take and nodded, she rushed out of the coms room quicker than he could remember her moving at any given point.

Lexine entered the shuttle using her knowledge of previous vessels she'd been aboard to locate the med kit. The first place she checked was the galley. In the compact box sitting above the sink she found a stock of bandages and disinfectant but no sign of any painkiller. Snatching two rolls out of the compartment Lexine hurried out of the ship, barely pausing to check her flank as she return to the coms room.

Weller was staring up at the ceiling, eyes at half mass when she reached him. The area of blood around his left leg appeared to have expanded and his hand was no longer trying to stave off what little blood seemed content with exiting the wound. Lexine dropped to the ground, inadvertently sliding toward her target, she jostled him again. "Weller, wake up," She watched his head roll toward her and his eyes regain focus.

"What kept you?" He moaned, pushing himself back up.

"I was only a few minutes, five at best," She protested, dropping the bandages on his legs. "Don't move. You're still losing blood."

"Really? …I hadn't noticed," His reply was sarcastic, but the usual gusto that drove his words was lacking. Tearing the seal, Lexine wondered if she should be glad or concerned. "Don't die on me, Sergeant, not when we're so close-"

"D-don't worry yourself… sweetcheeks, I've no intention of dying on this damned boat," He huffed. "Especially not after being shot by a Marker head."

"Marker head or no, he was still able to shoot you," Lexine argued, checking his side. "Did it go through, is it still in there?"

"I don't know," Weller said. "He snuck up on me."

"How did he manage to do that anyway?" She asked, gripping the tattered edges of the hole in his uniform. "You're usually pretty good at watching your back, so what made this time different?" Gabe held his breath at the sound of fabric tearing and her manicured fingernails scraping the tender skin around his wound. How, indeed, he mused to himself.

"I must save Lexine, so she can save us all," Eckhardt told him. The crazy bastard was going to use his retaliation against him and how they would've bought it, hook-line-and-sinker. Poor Sergeant Weller, finally gone mad because of great bloody stone; no one would've batted a lash. Had it not been for one of those things, Weller's knowledge of Eckhardt's secret would've died with him and Doctor Howell. Yet, here he was, twice given the opportunity to tell Lexine and McNeill how it all really went down and he was hesitating.

The fuck was he hesitating for? Don't tell me you believe all that secrecy bullshit, Gabe. You can't possibly, he thought. She dissevered to know. "I got careless," Weller said after a moment. "I was so… consumed with trying to get the ship ready that I wasn't paying attention to pudgy over there."

"Is that right?" Lexine hummed, almost unconsciously.

"What, you think I'm lying?" Weller asked, incredulous. Lexine shook her head quickly. Pushing the layers of shirt out of the way, Lexine applied the first part of the bandage and pressed down. Whatever curse Weller intended to use was lost to the loud and thunderous bumping overhead. Both survivors held their breath, eyes wide and hearts racing. The aimless and angry growls of the creatures overhead sounded above, searching for the next body to slaughter. Lexine's gaze shifted downward, the bandage was already taking on blood, undoubtedly from the rate of Weller's heartbeat. Grabbing his idle hand off the ground, she pressed it against his side and readied her hand to silence him.

Weller bit back his own cry of pain and stared straight ahead. He saw the spindly spine-like tail vanish off into the darkness of the open ventilation system across from the shuttle and prayed it wouldn't decide to investigate the area. It was another moment before they were sure the monsters had moved on and finally allowed themselves to exhale.

"I think I'm gonna pass out, now," Weller whispered.

"You better not!" Lexine warned, unsure if he was being sarcastic of serious with her. Lexine grabbed the bandages again and tore off another piece with her teeth. Bumping his hand slightly, she placed it onto the edges of the first layer sideways and proceeded to tear another section off. "It's not that I don't think you're telling the truth, Weller," She said. "It's just- for the longest time, I've had this particular image of soldiers. People like you and Nate, you were invincible."

"Propaganda… did its job, then," He closed his eyes.

Lexine applied the final piece of her haphazard bandage onto his side, sliding one finger across the edges to make sure everything was airtight. "There, I'm done," She said. "It should hold until we get someplace safe."

"If we get someplace safe," Weller muttered.

"Hey," She bumped his shoulder, trying her best to put on a smile. "What was that about not dying on this godforsaken boat?" Weller shook his head, he didn't even attempt to try and smile that time. Not good, she thought.

The scuttle above their heads returned. Lexine found herself positioning her body in front of Weller and taking hold of his gun without a second thought. The creature that walked on its hands was back, this time with its brothers and cousins. "Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, they're in the bay," She whispered, voice trembling. She turned to face Weller; he wasn't in much shape to do anything except stare back at her, his eyes barely open. Raising her communicator to her lips she whispered, "Nate, where are you? They're inside the bay!"

"I'm almost there," Nathan's response was immediate and not as quiet as she'd like. "Stay inside the coms room, use Weller's pistol if you have to." Almost immediately the growls made it known they'd gotten whiff of their position, their bone-like talons scraping loud against the floor.

"Alright, please hurry," She breathed. Checking the side of the weapon in her hand she learned she had seventy eight percent of a full clip and if she counted right, at least five of those things came leaping out of the vents. Don't miss, Lexine, don't miss. "Aim… for the limbs," Weller's voice barely rivaled the roars growing closer and closer their position, but she heard him. "I know," She nodded, never looking back to acknowledge his voice. The first Leaper climbed through the broken window, mouth wide open as it launched itself into the air. Lexine's first instinct was to aim for the head, just like in the horror movies. The sudden divergence of her arms by Weller's bloodied hand as she pulled the trigger reminded her that this wasn't a fantasy. This was her life on the line.

The rounds she fired severed the right arm from its body, Lexine's arms moved slightly to the left and she fired again. If it were at all possible for the Leaper to look any more vacantly surprised she would've laughed. It let out a pitiful gargle of pain and slammed into the wall next to them, its tail slashing above them like a spasmodic wire. Lexine fell back against Weller, causing both of them to fall to the side.

The impact of his body as they hit the ground was accompanied by a very loud curse and Lexine fired again, this time wildly as two more entered the coms room. They went down in a similar manner as their friend, only they were missing more appendages than he. The fourth and fifth Leapers entered next, eager to avenge the death of its brethren. The fourth latched itself onto the ceiling and crawled toward them, the fifth charged Lexine head on.

"Oh, God!" Lexine threw caution to the wind and fired up and down at her approaching targets. The fourth Leaper dodged her poor aim with a leering hiss and proceeded to drop down on them. Lexine let out a startled scream when the Leaper's unhinged jaw barely missed her head. She stole a glance to the right and realized Weller's boot was keeping it from eating her. With an angry cry he sent the creature flying out of the coms room, adrenaline the only explanation for his ability to send it packing that far.

The fifth had a tougher time dodging her shots. Its tail went flying in one direction, its arm in another. Soon it relied on nothing but its remaining arm to propel it forward. Mouth wide open, the Leaper prepared for what it believed would be an easy target worn down by its pack. Lexine didn't know how many shots were left in the gun, she didn't care. If she could get that thing's arm, it wouldn't matter. Aiming left, she pulled the trigger and watched the bullet remove what remained of its upper body.

The Leaper fell to ground just inches away from them. The fourth Leaper, peered its head over the edge of the coms room window, Lexine shot twice and it scampered upward. The last two rounds fired took out both its arms, the hissing corpse fell to the ground then all was silent. "Nate! Nate, I got them," She reported breathlessly.

"Good, I'm almost to-"

"Please, get back here soon," Lexine interjected. "Please."

"-the captain's nest," Nathan finished. "McNeill out." Lexine dropped her communicator to the floor and turned on her side. Weller, still right behind her, was pale as a ghost and breathing like he'd just run a marathon. "Oh, shit, Weller, I'm so sorry!" Scooting away from him, she tried to ascertain the proper way to sit him back up. "Are you alright?" Weller, winded and writhing from more pain than he cared to admit, just shook his head.

Closing her eyes she grabbed hold of both of his arms and pulled him upward. Weller gritted his teeth against the profanities that sprung from his mind onto his tongue as Lexine sat him back up.

His shoulders banged against the wall, and were it not for the fact Lexine was directly under the path of his legs he would've been kicking something fierce. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," He heard her say as she leaned over to check his side. "It's okay, I think," She sat back up. "It looks a little bloodier than usual, but the bandage didn't break."

Goodie for me, Weller thought shutting his eyes against the pain. "Did—did you find any painkillers?" He grounded out.

"No, I couldn't find any!" Lexine cried. Weller knocked his head against the wall again. Perfect, just bloody perfect. If he was lucky he would pass out from the combination of agony and blood loss, anything to make this pain in his side shut the hell up. "Hold on, I'll check the ship again, just don't pass out, please!" Lexine scrambled to her feet and started out of the room.

"No promises," He moaned. Lexine darted from the coms room into the shuttle in no time flat, she searched the galley for a second time, emptying the medical kit, the drawers and cabinets until there was nothing left to shake loose. The ship seemed completely void of the one thing Weller needed to stay awake. Rushing to the front of the ship, she checked the pilot and co-pilots' seat.

As stingy luck would have it, a syringe and vial of painkiller sat in the pilot's chair just waiting to be used. Lexine snatched them up immediately and came jogging out of the ship. With all the restraint of a six year old with candy, Lexine announced, "Painkiller - I found the painkiller, Weller."

Only to find Weller had solved his problem all by himself. His head hung low to the left, chin resting on his collarbone. "Weller?" Lexine kneeled next to him and pressed two fingers to the side of his neck. His pulse was present, weak, but present. "Thank goodness, you're not dead." Looking down at her damaged wrist watch, she checked the time. It was forever stuck at the hour of two in the morning, roughly the same time she remembered encountering Doctor Howell. Leaning against the wall, she proceeded to prepare the syringe to administer the drug.


	4. Year 2508 V, 01:00AM

**Title:** Year 2508 V

**Prompt:** (01:00/1AM) "Focus is on wholeness of self and the banishing of any shadow."

* * *

Maintenance Shuttle 23 of the USG _Ishimura_, the _Fujinara_, drifted through space with an automated course set for the Titan Station for six days before they were hailed by station's patrol route.

In that time, Gabriel Weller learned of a new kind of familiarity and distance with Lexine Murdoch.

* * *

1.

It started with the "burial" of Nathan McNeill. Much to his chagrin, Lexine seemed undecided with how she wanted to deal with the situation. He knew that she was aware that the misshapen thing their friend had become could not stay on the ship lest they be trapped in quarantine lockdown forever no matter how many times he bypassed it. (The wires could only take so much tampering before he damaged them beyond repair).

The other part of her was so desperate to cling to what remained of Nathan that she didn't want Gabe going anywhere near the cargo bay. Sufficed to say, despite her best efforts to dissuade him from jettisoning, burning or doing away with the man formerly known as Nathan McNeill, Gabe wouldn't be stopped.

For all the times they'd saved each other, Nathan deserved a burial that wouldn't expose him to hypocrisy of EarthGov and anyone else. Begrudgingly, he waited until she was too tired to keep her eyes open and locked her in the sleeping quarters (he was not getting sucker punched again). Dead bodies were always the least favorite part of his career as a soldier or security officer. He could brace himself as much as he humanly could, but one look into the vacant and hollow eyes of the recently departed and Gabe Weller was fighting the temptation to retch and fall to his knees in despair.

Nathan used to tease him mercilessly for being so weak-kneed and nicknamed him "Jellyfish" during their time in the Resource Wars. The march up Climbatize hill carrying the body of their dead C.O. wasn't a situation he would ever forget. With no limbs to bind together, the task was simple as wrapping the twisted figure in tarp and suiting up. That in and of itself was an unpleasant experience, the hallow eyes of McNeill following no matter where he was in the room. The cargo hold was good and sealed when he finished preparing the body, opening the hatch he rechecked his tethers and used the gravity boots to position himself and the corpse somewhere nearest to the idle thrusters.

Naught but a spare tether kept McNeill from drifting off into space to be found. Returning to the cargo bay, he closed the bay doors and waited for the room to pressurize. Tossing his helmet aside, he crossed the distance between himself and the cockpit, ignoring the frantic cries of Lexine as she demanded to be let out of the sleeping quarters.

He could hear her pressing frantically on the holographic panel as he prepped the shuttle's thrusters. "Don't do it, Weller! Not to Nate, please!" She cried. He didn't listen to her of course, not after going through all of that. The end result of his spacewalk was one corpse 'burnt' to ashes and a fourth quarantine procedure lifted. McNeill's body was gone, there was nothing left to do except deal with the painful reminder of what happened to him and the girl who fell in love with him.

* * *

2.

Whether or out of spite or self-absorption of her grief allowed to take its course, Lexine removed herself from the self-appointed position as Gabe's caretaker. In fact, she didn't do much of interacting with him at all, which was fine by him, honestly. Weller was far too content with dealing with the wound on his own.

As far as he was concerned now, Lexine was now just another faceless rescue he'd been saddled with until a station arrived and they went their separate ways. What food they had to ration, Lexine ate in her bedroom. Gabe took to sleeping stretched out on the seats of dining room or lounging sideways in the pilot's seat. All three options left him with an aching back, shoulders and legs so numb that he spent just as long trying to wake them up.

The times she emerged from the sleeping quarters it always appeared to see if he was still alive, her eyes wandering the space he inadvertently occupied before she realized he was staring right at her, watching her mill about like a mouse hoping for the all clear. Questions asked were restricted to their destination or his condition, all of which he answered as frankly as possible.

"It feels like I've been on this ship for ages," She mused to him once, gaze overlooking the holographic display of Titan station projected by his RIG.

"Aegis VII's a ways off from the Sprawl. Even with ShockPoint Drive functions, it'll be a while yet before we reach our destination," He answered, messing with the schematics. Lexine, disappointed by the answer, hugged herself and sat on the floor nearest to the galley threshold. "I hate this place," She said, her weary gaze observing him without hesitation for the first time since the burial. "I just want to get out of here."

"I know you do," He responded softly. "Just hang tight, Lex."

* * *

3.

Lexine's reluctance to spend less time outside her quarters lent to the overwhelming atmosphere of monotony on the _Fujinara_ that was starting to drive Weller crazy. The routine of sleeping, monitoring the ship, washing and redressing his wound left plenty for the mind to wander off to. And how his mind spent wandering the bloody halls of the _Ishimura_; no one technique of mental diversion helped him.

All roads seemingly lead to the _Ishimura_.

Part of him almost wished he was conscious for the time Lexine attempted to hail the USG _Kellion,_ at the very least he would've heard her voice for a little longer. As it stood, there was little by way of variety in the shuttle, flight manuals and manifests were all that were provided by way of reading material and there were no vids to watch. He was going crazy listening to himself think.

A look at the manifests showed the shuttle was stocked to send foodstuffs to Aegis VII. The time dated was one in the morning, a little around the time before they'd left the ship. He didn't have to wonder what happened to the crew intended to pilot her to the doomed planet. The food was still stocked in the storage, who knew if it was still any good considering the circumstances.

Lexine still wasn't quite ready to resume talking to him yet and he had to be alright with that for time being.

* * *

4.

"Weller. Weller, wake up."

Behind his eyelids he could see the light flashing behind his eyes like an S.O.S. message. His mind automatically linked it to a shuttle flying overhead as it scanned the terrain for signs of life or hostiles. Assuming he was lying somewhere under cover, Weller paid it no mind and scooted away from the insistent jostling that meant to shake him loose from the cobwebs of his mind.

"Weller, please wake up," The voice returned and slowly, he responded to her, brown eyes swishing over to the luminous light shining over him. Lexine was kneeling over him, a mini flashlight attached to magnet strip on her right arm. Her expression was taught with anxiety. "Lex…. Lexine, what do you want? You realize what time it is?" He groused, glaring at her. "One in the morning, give or take," Lexine answered as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into an upright position.

Weller, not quite yet aware of his surroundings, bumped his head on the table. How did he end up here? Following Lexine out from underneath the table, he stretched his body to loosen the knots in his muscles. "What is so important that you had to wake me?" He groused. Lexine paced in a half circle, her fingers twisting the sleeves of the spare CEC uniform they found in the sleeping quarters. "Lexine-"

"I need you to tell me about Nathan," She said finally, arms at her side. "I need you to tell me why you did that to Nathan-"

"It's what he would've wanted me to do. It's what he would've done for me," Despite the exhaustion of sleep still hanging over his head, he was coherent enough to remain firm in his decision. Lexine said nothing in response to the declaration, swallowing the knot forming in her chest she shook her head and asked, "You really think the EarthGov would really be so underhanded as to cover up something like what happened to my home and the _Ishimura_?"

"Sweetheart, the _Ishimura_ was performing an illegal planet crack on Aegis VII, we were in violation of EarthGov regulations for even being in that sector and they sent us there anyway. Then the ship gets attacked by the same thing that decimated the planet? The _Ishimura_ had no business messing with Aegis. You really think EarthGov is going to admit they were in the area? It's self-incrimination."

"I still don't see why you had to destroy Nate's body that way. People deserve to know what happened to all of those souls. My father, Sam, Nathan-"

Pressing one hand to his face, Weller proceeded to rub the sleep from his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Of course they do, Lexine. I'm not denying that at all, but we can't tell anyone what happened on Aegis or the _Ishimura_. We'd be hauled off into to the brig or worse."

"How do you know that? You can't possibly be absolutely certain they'd do that," She said.

"Yes, I can. I've seen it far too many times during the service. Good men - best friends - too damn noble to keep something they see, know is wrong, to themselves. You always turn up missing, dead or a scapegoat," He explained. "There is no happy ending with this course action, there's too much about those creatures, that Marker and our being there that smacks of a connection to be a mere coincidence."

"And you think that if we told anyone what really happened there, they would just make us disappear because we'll get them in trouble?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Lexine," He said. "If Nathan was right about anything, it's that none of this would have happened if it weren't for the rock that team pulled up and brought to the ship."

"Then what do you plan on explaining how we got this shuttle? One look at our records, our clothes and they'll know you were an officer on board and that I was a colonist on the planet," Lexine countered.

"I've lied my way out of worse situations, I'll think of something," Gabe answered. "Now, can I go back to sleep?"

"But-"

"Look, once we reach the Sprawl, I'll tell you everything you want to know about Nathan, okay? His pants size, where his hairline used to be, anything and everything. Right now, I just want to sleep," He turned away from her with all the intention of crawling back underneath the table and burying his face in the crook of his arm. Instead he found himself being halted by Lexine who insisted that he face her again. "Lex, please-"

"You should be sleeping on a bed, Weller, not out here," She said to him.

"Funny, you didn't seem to mind before," He grinned.

"I- I never told you you couldn't come and take the other bunk," Lexine's gaze shifted to the right. "You just assumed-"

"I gave you the space you needed, and the diner booth wasn't such a bad bed," Gabe interjected.

"How- how is your wound, by the way?" She asked, eyeing his side. "And don't give me some offhanded reply, like 'you've had worse' or something. That's not an answer."

"It's fine mostly. Healing slowly, but otherwise I've had no complications."

"Good," Lexine sighed. "But, you still need to rest." Pulling on his arm, Lexine led him out of the galley and down the hall to the sleeping quarters.

* * *

5.

He woke that morning feeling relatively numb and disoriented. The environment of the sleeping quarters wasn't something he was quite used to yet. The inherent absence of kitchen smells struck him as strange after spending so much time sleeping there. And the comfort, as much as he loved it, part of his mind was wondering why it was there instead of a cool floor thrumming with the energy of the ship. Rolling out of top bunk, he proceeded into the bathroom to freshen up.

In accordance to their conversation, Gabe followed his own advice and deleted the audio log he created in the aftermath of Nathan's transformation and double checked the system for any backups it may have created on the hard drive.

His and Lexine's clothing he figured were the only articles of clothing he could toss out the airlock while the ship was still using the shock drive, he maintained his badge if only for security reasons and reference. He was pretty good liar, but there was no way in hell he could declare he was ship security and not have some type of solid evidence to corroborate the story.

The culmination of their journey was finally coming to a head with the appearance of Titan Station as they shocked back into normal space. Lexine was waiting in the cockpit when he managed to get himself together, looking more rested than hisself and genuinely excited by the environment floating around the window of the ship.

"You're first time here, I take it?" He asked, getting comfortable in the pilot's chair. Lexine nodded, one hand reaching up to pat her pony tail self-consciously. "I've done a little traveling, but the Sprawl, Mars - they're the kinds of places you only hear about and never touch, you know?" She answered. "I figured you'd have to be rich to afford to live on a space station."

"Not, really, but an expendable budget wouldn't hurt," Gabe yawned, double checking the latest diagnostic check for the shuttle. "Besides, the Sprawl is hardly what I'd call a classy place, if you get my meaning."

Lexine nodded. "Why do you call it the Sprawl?"

"See that?" Gabe pointed to the left wing the station that came in barely half way to meet the right wing, Lexine leaned forward in her seat and nodded. "All of that there, top to bottom, is the Public Sector of the station. All sorts of peoples, homes and jobs reside in those sectors alone, it's a clusterfuck. Government resides strictly in the middle, the Titan shard. Nate and I used to report there when the station was expanding to accommodate for the number of people that were leaving Earth to live in space," He explained. "Basically, with the exception of Gov Sec, Public Sector is pretty disorganized."

"Is that really it?" Lexine raised her eyebrow at his explanation, thinking there had to be more to it that.

"Uh, no, I actually haven't slightest idea why they called it the Sprawl. It's suiting though," Gabe recounted with a small nod of his head. Lexine had to agree with him.

"Right, I figure it's about time we introduce ourselves," Gabe aligned the shuttle accordingly and began to hail the space station. "Titan Station, this is the USG _Fujinara_, requesting permission to land."

"Gabe - what do you plan on doing when we get there?" Lexine asked while they waited for a reply. The man commonly known as Weller did his best to maintain a neutral expression as he mulled over her question. At present he had no real place to call home; the total duration of his stay on the _Ishimura_ would've lasted until the ship was decommissioned and it was off to find another job or return to Earth and find someplace live.

The Sprawl, as unpleasant as some of his memories were of the place, sounded like just as good a place to live for the time being despite its relative proximity to Aegis VII. "I dunno, probably rest. I know someone who's lived there for a while. Contacted him a couple days ago, so, he'll take me in," He answered. "And yourself?"

"I don't know either. My dad was my only family, I've spent half my whole life on Aegis, and I can barely remember Earth. I never kept in touch with the relatives on my mother's side, they aren't exactly charitable people," Lexine sighed. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

"I'm sure my friend could arrange a place for you to stay."

"No, no, I couldn't possibly think of imposing-"

"Hello, USG _Fujinara_. Apologies for the delay, clearance has been granted. You may begin your approach," The professional response interrupted their conversation. "Please proceed to dock LAA23." The two shared a nervous glance, the moment of truth finally upon them. Gabe seemed to be asking whether or not she still felt the way she did about their situation, if she was going to say anything. Lexine raised a hand to lips and pretended to zip them, promising she wasn't going to say a word. Leaning back in the chair, Gabe focused his attention on landing the shuttle in the docking bay.

* * *

6.

"So, if I'm hearing you right, your shuttle was ordered to depart the Aegis VII before the _Ishimura_ disappeared off the grid and you lost contact with the planet?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Adjusting to the thriving ecosystem of the Sprawl was task for both Lexine and Gabe. Where time and space seemed once suspended and irrelevant, it was a necessary part of living in the Public Sector. People functioned on a day to day basis, comfortable in the knowledge that there would be another day and another day to look forward to. Falling back into that routine wasn't as simple as reintegrating with a living population.

"As one of the security officers aboard the _Ishimura_, aren't you crucial to safety of her people?"

"There are over a hundred P.C.S.I. officers aboard the _Ishimura_, they could spare one and Chief Vincent thought I was suited for the task."

"And you, Lexine Murdoch, was it?"

Lexine was insistent that Gabe visit the hospital before he did anything further and reluctantly he obliged her request. There was more than a little work the doctors had to do before Gabe could be given a clean bill of health, complete with a bottle of pills that would knock him out for hours on end. From there it was as simple as working their way from sleeping in the shuttle to finding a lodgings to live in. As he said, at least one of his friends still remained on the Sprawl, an old timer named Gibson Williams from a time before the Resource Wars. He looked about fifty, but there was no telling how old he actually was. He took a real shine to Lexine, much to Gabe's amusement, and offered her a place to stay at his home while his great granddaughters were out surveying the traverse for the CEC.

"Yes, sir, that's my name."

"You were aboard the _Ishimura_?"

"No, sir, I was on Aegis when the _Fujinara_ landed. I took a fancy to Weller and I thought to hitch a ride when he told me he was going to Titan Station."

"Huh, a fatigue chaser, eh? You don't strike me as the type."

"I'm not, really, it was really just an excuse to visit the Sprawl while Weller restocked."

"Darling I'm hurt! And here I thought you liked me."

Gabe managed to find Lexine an otherwise affordable apartment in Titan Heights with a little help from Williams. Oddly enough there was enough room for two people and he could only wonder if the old man had gone senile and mixed up "one room apartment" for a "two room apartment". Either way, he didn't think much of it after promising to pay his friend back once he got a job and getting Lexine accustomed to her new surroundings.

There was only one job he was interested in: Titan Station Security Enforcement Guard. Background requirements seemed unlimited as far as experience was concerned, but they took a particular liking to soldiers and marines. "You don't seem terribly comfortable separated from a weapon, Weller," Lexine remarked sardonically when she watched him attempt to do push-ups in spite of his gunshot wound. "It's complicated, Lexine," Was all the reasoning Gabe was willing to give her at the moment.

"Yeah, well, you know women. Anyway, are either of you aware of the communication problems either the ship or the planet was experiencing?"

"No, I had no idea."

"Is that right, Sergeant Weller?"

"Yes, sir."

"And can either you tell me why, if you're departure date was roughly a week and a half ago, it took you half that time to reach Titan Station?"

"I- uh, overtaxed the drive, sir. We lost power, but managed to life support systems back on. It took a while to reroute the proper energy necessary to finish the journey."

Lexine's attempts to find a job were less fortunate than the injured sergeant. As a grade two surveyor, her major hope was to find a job in the science/planetary divisions of the CEC facility, but there were either no openings for her position or she lacked the experience they were searching for.

Rudimentary jobs were the best she could get until another opportunity would present itself to her, unless she took up Gibson's offer to arrange a meeting with a "peculiar doctor" in the Government Sector. The man was too generous with his favors, so much in fact that she was suspicious and hesitant of taking so many free handouts from him. One could only take so much before you were too deep in the hole to give back.

"So by all accounts, until now, you've been unaware of the problems encountered and you're primary purpose was resupply here at Titan Station?"

Gabe and Lexine nodded in unison, their expressions either neutral or blank. "Alright, you're free to go. We'll contact you if anything changes."

As far as Lexine knew, their little excursion into the Gov Sector's interrogation office after being declared clean for public integration didn't exactly go as Gabe planned, but neither did they throw them into the brig and make them disappear. The detective - or whatever he was - didn't so much as flinch when they explained situation to him, but he didn't look completely convinced of their story either (such was the way of authority figures). Either way, she and Gabe left the sterile, white and silver compound without incident, hand-in-hand like a pair of love-sick puppies unaware they'd been admonished. Gabe remained relatively on edge, even as they traversed the Public Sector, using his waypoint navigation to find a way to his friend.

Lexine hoped they would just be left alone.


	5. Year 2508 III, 18:00PM

**Title:** Year 2508 III

**Prompt:** (18:00/6PM) "Matters of safety, protection and completion"

* * *

Gabe can't stop thinking about what Eckhardt told him on the _Ishimura_ all those months ago. He never put much stock in religion, let alone the church of Unitology. But listening to Eckhardt speak proudly of the sacrifices he made on the behalf of others, without their consent and their literal lifeblood, it made him sick.

Like anyone, he fought bravely for the ideals he thought were upheld by EarthGov, but there came a point where a man had to question the methods in which those ideals were achieved and upheld. He'd seen enough through the Resource Wars with Nathan to question the validity of fighting over what was thought necessary to survive, he'd seen the line between Church and State blur enough that he started wonder just who was in control of what or whom.

The _Ishimura_ seemed pretty overrun with marker heads, even if he encountered them on a sporadic basis. They never seemed very far from the point of interest, the Marker sitting happy in the shuttle bay. Were it not for the bullheadedness of Chief Vincent, he was pretty sure most of P.C.S.I. Sec would've been switched about like everything else on that damned ship.

Lexine couldn't be told about her immunity to the Marker's effects, but the why of it all baffled him. Eckhardt assumed - whether rightly or wrongly - that she wouldn't understand her uniqueness out of the lot of them, probably under the belief that she would act on self-preservation and refuse to be subjected to experimentation.

Something about her may hold a "cure" to whatever those things were and from the assumption based on what he knew of her, Lexine didn't strike him as the kind to refuse to help anyone. If anything, her knowing about her "gift" might actually spur her to offer herself up to table, but he knew how government and religious types were about this sort of thing.

Any kind of resource that gave them the upper hand over an competitor or control of anyone would be picked clean down to the bone and for all the bluster he made about her tagging along in the beginning, he'd become attached to Lexine. The last thing he wanted to see was the girl trapped under a periscope for the emotionally callous to play with, stripped of her humanity and treated like an object.

Then there was the chance that the self-imposed cross she carried on her back after the loss of Doc Howell and Nathan becoming a literal manifestation of a truth she created in her head. None of this was her fault, but he suspected if he told her, not only would she be angry, she would blame herself as well.

"I've never been any good at this type of thing, keeping audio logs," He scratched the stubble on his face in weary frustration. "It's been three months since the incident on the _Ishimura_ and I can't sleep. Funny thing about it is, once upon a time, I didn't mind losing too much sleep. Depending on the work, I could go for days without sleep… now, it's like I'm retroactively bypassing it by drinking enough caffeine to give me the shakes, which by accounts is not good considering..."

He paused to yawn, the enormity of his weariness rearing its head as if to challenge his words. Gabe squinted at the clock behind his desk; 18:00 hours, 6PM if he wasn't mistaken. About two more hours before he officially did not go to sleep. "…Anyway, I haven't the foggiest idea what I'm trying to say here. Lexine, she seems pretty settled here; she was a bit fidgety during quarantine and processing, but-" He squinted his eyes against the light blooming to his right. He sat straight and swallowed. In the corner of his eye he saw a lumbering figure walk through the structure of the door without accessing the holographic panel, the low hum of a death rattle echoing in his head. The light dimmed once more and everything in his room fell still.

That was not normal.

Gabe didn't like to remember much after dealing McNeill's remains, nothing that didn't concern consoling Lexine when she allowed it. He drifted in and out, riding out the waves of pain whenever he changed his bandage. Self-dependent, it was hard not to feel emasculated by the idea of even begrudgingly accepting her help, but by the time they reached the Sprawl, it'd become a routine and he buried his pride long enough to thank her for saving him. "I spent most of my time sleeping in the hospital wing until I was given the all clear. She wasn't far and I-" He stopped again, staring at the recorder. "What am I doing?" Dropping the pad on the table, he deleted the audio log and snatched the crutch from against the wall. Gabe stood upright and hobbled over to his bed and fell into the mattress, biting back a curse. What were a few bloodied nightmares compared to thinking with some semblance of coherency?

Better yet, what were a few nightmares compared to finding more excuses to avoid the question that's been on his mind since leaving the doomed planet cracker-class ship?

He thought Lexine deserved to know Eckhardt told him, so why couldn't pry it from his jaws and just spill it out?


	6. Year 2508 VI, 06:00AM

**Title:** Year 2508 VI

**Prompt:** (06:00/6AM) "Tenacity and perseverance, especially with something you have been putting off."

* * *

For every situation, there are two sides to a person. Had none of this happened Lexine was confident in the assumption that the people she encountered - Gabe, Nate, Eckhardt, Howell and Nicole - would have remained blissfully ignorant to each other's existence. Her otherwise comfortable lifestyle uninterrupted, her job static and her boyfriend content to work in the megavents alongside her father.

Instead she found herself caught up in some nightmare that chose to take up a permanent residence on her planet. By way of something out of a horror film, survivor personalities clashed and meshed according to their temperament and out of all of them, Sergeant Weller as he was known to the group, clashed with just about every one of them except the one who knew him best.

Gabe Weller was not a man so easily figured out. What you saw him was what he wanted you see, and as such, the no-nonsense Sergeant minced no words and spared no one's feelings, the only person he was comfortable with presenting. Relatively unfamiliar with the behavior of soldiers or security officers, Lexine thought him unnecessarily severe and abrasive toward herself and Eckhardt, people who didn't have the luxury of being familiar with each other like he and Nate did.

He wanted everyone to be quick on their feet, to react and keep up with his pace. Lexine was taxed by the mere idea of being observed by some invisible force. She wasn't going to able to keep up with them as he preferred and thus was seen as a liability that could get them all killed; Eckhardt was only as good as his executive clearance, therefore a priority worth protecting. It was enough that Lexine believed him undeserving any kind of respect given, even without knowing who was behind the scenes, beyond a life-or-death situation.

Yet to see him lying in a pool of his own blood from a gunshot wound in his side, begrudgingly accepting that he couldn't do much of anything to help - except not die - revealed there was a person under that prickly exterior. A person with more than one expression, a person she could actually function alongside with on a relatively cordial basis and that was more or less under the pretense it would be brief enough for her pride to survive. During the escape she exhibited enough strength of character that he trusted her to cover him during fight the monsters that haunted their every step, the thought of which thrilled her subconscious desire to be acknowledged as strong enough to survive their situation.

The shuttle escape made her grateful for his survival, her soul weary and browbeaten by the numerous loss of lives in just a matter of days (or hours, she couldn't tell) of being on the _Ishimura_. Maybe it was the painkillers in his system, but Weller was a decidedly good-humored personality when he wasn't worried about shooting whatever lay around the next corner, laughing and chewing Nathan out as the two of them compared battle scars or traded stories about the Sprawl. She was perhaps tremendously more grateful for Nate's survival than anything. He'd been nothing if not thoughtful and kind to her throughout the trials of their journey, his protection the exact kind of thing that kept her going through it all.

And it was that exact reason that made his death and eventual disposal the biggest crippling blow of their situation. Whether or not she had romantic feelings, or feelings of intense admiration in the face of his constant promise to keep her safe, seemed irrelevant now that he was gone, a silly thought toyed with in the back of her mind until there was no option but to discard it in the sack of grief that shook her to the core. The sudden reemergence of the steely Sergeant made her ill, whether it was Weller's way of dealing with the loss of a lifetime friend mattered little to her. The bastard didn't seem to care whether or not he'd just disposed his friend like he was garbage shot out of an airlock, and for the life of her, it was all Lexine could do not to choke him.

Lexine was confident being a soldier didn't equate to emotionally shutting one's self off. She left him to his own devices, confident he could look after his own injuries and contemplated what the hell had just happened on the _Fujinara_. Oddly enough, he never once knocked on the door to sleeping quarters, never tried to justify his actions to her beyond their necessity; instead he functioned relatively well in the silence of the ship, choosing to sleep wherever he pleased.

Somewhere in that disoriented mind of hers, she didn't like that. So, without really meaning to, she came wandering out of her hiding space, pretending to be looking for anything other than him. Weller seemed intrinsically aware of her behavior behind the scenes, but again, said nothing to her about it. He answered her questions when she needed them answered and dealt with the silence until she herself grew tired of it.

Realizing she was dependent on his ability to communicate with her, to protect her, Lexine put aside her anger and attempted to reconnect a steady flow of communication. By the time they reached Titan Station, his demeanor softened and his personality shifted from silent and hardnosed to amicable and talkative. Little by little, though she never forgot what happened to Nathan, she re-learned to trust him.

The station had a sense of isolation to its grandiose design. There was no denying, as a result of Gabe's caution, Lexine was weary of anyone involved with the EarthGov or a security on board to protect them in the name of whatever civic code governed the Sprawl.

Gabe had told Nate once that the responsibility of her life rested solely on his shoulders; whatever happened to her was Nate's problem, not his. In the wake of his friend's death, Gabe seemed to take up the obligation without so much as verbally declaring it.

* * *

**1. February 2508**

Their second week on the Sprawl was spent locating Gibson Williams' apartment in Titan Heights. Gabe had a time getting reacquainted with the mechanics of the station, primarily requesting the assistance of a holographic phone book represented by a stiff woman with blonde hair. One of three of his friends died of natural causes, the other had taken up residence on Mars Capita, hoping to find a job during Titan Station's drop in employment. Gibson Williams was the only one who was listed as a resident of Titan Station. Lexine, battered and worn by past events, argued to remain behind at the hotel.

Unfortunately, Gabe - still fidgety from their escape - refused to leave her behind, so she followed after him, protesting all the way. The crowd around them seemed to instinctively know they weren't residents of the station. Their world seemed interrupted by their mere presence. They observed their wrinkled clothes, bewildered expressions, almost affronted they were there in the first place. Gabe was all too accustomed to the bizarre looks. He instead focused on minimizing the difficulty traversing the crowds that gave them no berth of the smooth title walkways beneath them.

Lexine hated Titan Station already; it was too crowded and lacked any semblance of a place worth living in. If she was lucky, Gabe's friend wasn't living on the station anymore and they could move on to another place, further away from the _Ishimura_ and Aegis VII. The floor opened up for them when they reached the tram station, Lexine was able to keep up with Weller's long strides easier with fewer obstacles to worry about avoiding. "You're sure your friend is still here?" She asked, joining him on the moving walkway. "Positive, Gibson isn't exactly known for uprooting himself after he finds a nice place to stay," He assured her. They sat on the bench farthest from the crowd waiting for the tram to arrive. As they waited, the crowds for the locomotive system seem to grow every second. Everyone was looking for the quickest way to their destination. Lexine checked her hair repeatedly, wondering how long it'd been since she washed it. Taking notice of her agitation Gabe asked, "Is there something wrong with your hair?" Lexine turned to look at him with wide eyes. She dropped her hand at her side and shook her head. "N-No, I'm just nervous is all," She answered.

"What on earth for?" Gabe leaned forward to glean a look at the surrounding populace, almost none of them were paying them any attention in the least. "There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I don't like this place, Weller," She protested. "I feel like I'm being watched everywhere I look."

"It's a space station, Lexine, of course you're being watched. There's surveillance and security everywhere in this place," Gabe said in a matter-of-fact tone. Lexine shuddered as she rubbed her arms to rid them of the sudden chill that crept down her spine; she didn't see how he could be so comfortable with the idea of being under such a watchful eye. It unnerved her, even if she knew there was a reason for the observation, it made her feel more unsafe than safe. "Don't you have friends elsewhere? Someplace less intrusive?"

"With the exception of Mars, what few friends I have left are all in EarthGov controlled planets. Earth, Scorpio 6, Borealis, Uxor," He listed with a single hand. "You'd be no less watched on any of those planets."

"Didn't you all fight against the Government?" Lexine inquired, bewildered.

"No, I fought for them. Both McNeill and I fought for EarthGov in the Resource Wars, I work for the Earth Government, same as you," Gabe corrected her. "Just relax, you're not paying yourself any favors by drawing attention to us by panicking."

The tram arrived, Gabe and Lexine managed to climb aboard before the maximum number of passengers was reached. The speed of the locomotive was greater than that of the tram on the _Ishimura_ and the Megavent tram system combined, Lexine was impressed by how quickly it got them to their destination, for Gabe it was old hat. Titan Heights was a significant downgrade in comparison to the lofty, neo-modern and overly expensive aesthetic of Cassini Towers.

Most of the architecture on this particular level reminded her old 24TH century detailing, a great about its retail stores and offices were bare bones metal sheeting, rounded edges on the decompression glass molds, no fills, just simple design. The apartment complex wherein a grand majority of its residence lived was much the same. Cool browns, white, grays and gold peppered the color scheme giving the towering complex a more welcoming atmosphere.

It certainly was less stifling than Cassini that much was for certain. Lexine waited off on the edge of the wide lobby while Gabe checked with the assistant at the reference desk. He whistled for her as he headed for the elevator, Lexine ran to catch up with him as the door opened to allow him onto the lift. "Why doesn't this place have any stairs?" She asked.

"Stairs are a relative thing of the past," Gabe informed. "It's been ages since I've seen anything besides a ladder or lift in a ship or station." On the second floor the apartment complex Gabe led her to the second to last door on the left down the hall, closest to the nearest exit. Using the video intercom, Gabe announced his presence to his friend with all the subtlety of a soldier. "Gibson, open the door, I know you're home." Lexine checked both ends of the hall for signs of disturbance, not a soul seemed to notice the loud and obnoxious visitor. She turned back in time to see the door open and a slightly older man with close haircut, almond shaped eyes and stocky build appear. "You were never one for subtlety, were you Weller?" Gibson regarded the two of them with suspicion. "Who's the kid?"

"I'm twenty seven years old," Lexine huffed in objection. "I'm no child, sir." Gibson smiled knowingly at Gabe who shrugged his shoulders. "Calling in a favor, friend," He told him. Gibson's expression fell, the wrinkles in his face becoming more pronounced. "Last I heard you were stationed on the _Ishimura_, Gabe. I didn't expect this until at least one of us was on our deathbed."

"Change of plans, Gibson. You owe me for Hornet and I don't plan on dying any time soon," It seemed that was all that needed to be said. Gibson stepped away from the door, Gabe and Lexine stepped inside. What appeared to be a box for one at first glance revealed itself as a spacious area separated into areas for a living room, kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom. Gibson made himself comfortable on the bar stool positioned in front of the kitchen entrance, waiting for an explanation for the untimely visit. "What brings you back to the Sprawl, friend?"

"I'd rather no say just yet," Gabe replied.

"Well, unless you do, don't expect a bed and bath," Gibson retorted. "I'm not getting involved in any shit if I don't have to."

"It's complicated, but the most I can say is-"

"Uh-uh, you tell me everything or you get nothing," Gibson interjected. "Favor or no, my life comes first. Everything else is secondary."

"Just tell him, Nate, we can-"

"What!?" If looks could kill, Lexine would have been on the floor bleeding out. She pressed her lips together, and looked in the other direction.

"She called you Nate, Gabe," Gibson deadpanned. "Where is McNeill anyway? I figured he was playing Mr. Detective on Aegis VII."

"He's dead, Gibson," Gabe was just as frank in his reply to his friend. "The both of us ran into some trouble on Aegis VII and the _Ishimura_."

"What kind of trouble, Gabe?"

"The hostile kind," Gabe shook his head, still unable to believe the incident past was even real. "People started going crazy, maiming and killing each other on Aegis VII, no one could figure out why. Nathan was dealing most of the cases when I went planetside on a body retrieval mission, and that's when all hell broke loose. I can't explain it, but some kind of life form attacked the planet and killed everyone on the ship, and, I know it sounds crazy from the look you're giving me, okay, but it's true."

"It really is," Lexine added.

"Aegis VII was prohibited sector, wasn't it Gabe?"

"Yes, and as far as I can tell, Captain Matthius didn't give a damn. I was ship security, but he wouldn't listen to anyone who approached him."

"And you didn't, right?"

Gabe chose to remain silent on that issue. "Apparently, they wanted whatever they found on the planet, the marker, had something to do with murder spree."

"What, that crazy rock those Unitologists worship as their God or something?"

"That would be it, yeah," Gabe and Lexine nodded, almost too eager that he was buying something of their tale.

"And you're saying the Unitologists killed a bunch people and Nate on Aegis and _Ishimura_?"

"Yeah-" Gabe paused, realizing what was happening. "Wait, no, not exactly, but-"

"Hey, hey, I get it. They're nutcases and you barely managed to get out of that shithole of a mess with your life," He removed himself from stool and ventured into the kitchen for a beer. "Your secret's safe with me, man. Contrary to what Tiedemann thinks, he doesn't have eyes and ears in all places."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" Gabe asked.

"A few years back, I rigged this particular area so it couldn't be monitored. It's a black hole for EarthGov communications. They haven't figured that out of course, but they will." He paused, his tongue on the rim of his beer bottle. "I'm sorry about Nate, man. He was a real trooper."

"Yeah… so am I," Gabe muttered. Lexine watched his fist clench, the dry, flaking skin of his knuckles becoming more prominent. He started toward the exit, Lexine stood up ready to follow him. "You stay here, get something to eat, wash, whatever. I'm going to find us some clothes."

"Without money, how do you plan to do that?" Asked Lexine. Gabe reached into his pocket and revealed a group of credits. "Pawned off a few things from the ship before they confiscated it, so, like I said, I'll be back. You. Stay. Here." And without waiting for a response, he exited the apartment, leaving behind a bewildered and slightly offended Lexine.

Gibson let out a belch and chuckled. "Shouldn't have called him Nate, sweetheart."

"I didn't mean to!" Lexine proclaimed, embarrassed. "It just slipped." Gibson shrugged, concerned very little with her explanation as he headed back into the kitchen. Gabe returned with at least a weeks' worth of clothing for himself and Lexine, and by weeks' worth, seven pieces were afforded to both of them. Lexine found the bag in front of the guest bedroom she'd taken refuge in the moment Gabe vacated the apartment. Most of it wasn't to her liking, but at least was clean and didn't smell like a combination of sewage, blood and ship rust.

* * *

**2. February 2508**

Six in the morning was never a good time for Gabe after taking the prescribed pills that would help him recover from his injury. If he tried to stay awake, he remained crabby and easily agitated. Lexine had half a mind to assume he'd become addicted to them with how frequently he was supposed to take them, but she'd never been shot in the side, living under the advisement what to eat or drink on the off chance the slug damaged something vital.

Crawling out of the bed Lexine was careful to avoid making any noise beyond opening her door. There was only one rule in Gibson's apartment, the request that no noise be made during the night when he slept. She and Gabe respected his wishes, but there wasn't much she could do about the familiar hiss and whirr of machinery that keep the doors in functioning order. Stepping into the living room she was pleasantly surprised to see the warm light of the kitchen spilling out into the living room, Gabe's spot on the couch empty.

The semi-darkness of the living room took on vague shapes from her memory of the location of furniture warped the darkness, she stepped forward, hoping the direction chosen would lead her into the coffee table. She found Gabe sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter, a mug of tea in his hand and a blanket around his shoulders. He didn't seem to notice her, not even as she entered his line of sight. His gaze fell somewhere between the counter and the living room, it wasn't until her hand glided across the edge of the counter that he felt it was necessary to acknowledge her presence.

"Hello, Lexine," He said. Lexine finger's kneaded the palm of her hand, the sleeves of her shirt hanging over the back of her hand like a glove. "Can't sleep?" She asked. Gabe smiled, his half-lidded gaze expounding on their shared weariness. "Apparently not," He plucked the bottle of pills sitting next to his mug, it tipped over, spilling its contents across the counter. "I've don't think these are any good after certain period."

"Are you in any pain?"

"Not at the moment, I'm being really still," Gabe answered. "What brings you out to the land of the dead? I imagine you were dreaming of rainbows and ponies at this hour."

Lexine scoffed. "I wish," She muttered. "I'm afraid to close my eyes most nights. I can't be the only one, can I?"

"No, no you're not," Gabe yawned. "I've been experiencing a similar problem, but the pills were helping me sleep until now."

"You mean you weren't using the pills as prescribed?" Lexine made herself comfortable on the other stool, leaning forward so that she propped one hand under her chin she awaited clarification.

"No, I was, but the added incentive that they knocked you out was lovely," Gabe closed his eyes, leaning to his right. "I couldn't remember a damn thing I dreamt of when I woke up and I liked it that way." He felt the muscles in his jaw tighten each time he clenched his teeth, trying hard not to combat the sudden rush of emotion that swelled in his chest whenever he thought he was losing control. Daring to breech his personal space, Lexine nudged his arm with her shoulder. "You know, you don't have to keep all of that in, right?" She said, hoping her tone wasn't patronizing. "I mean, considering what we saw-."

"All the more reason to keep quiet about it," Gabe took another swig of a tea, tongue clicking against his teeth at the bitter sting of heat and unsweetened herbs running down his throat. "Did you see the way Gibson looked at me when I tried to explain? Bastard thinks I've cracked or something."

"We can't say anything to other people, but we can try and talk this out between us-"

"And do what, exactly?" He didn't intend for his reply to come out as nastily as it did. "'I can't believe this happened'-"

"To clear things out, to-" Lexine started.

"-or 'why did this have to happen?' What's the point?" Gabe questioned, his tone borderlined on louder than it should've been.

"I don't want to go crazy, Gabe, that's the point! I don't want to keep this locked up in my head, I want to know that what I saw wasn't some hallucination, that I just didn't meet and lose all those people-" She paused to release a shaky breath, "-My dad, to those monsters just to pretend it never happened. Don't you care that you lost your friend?"

"Of course I care!" He practically snapped at her, slamming his cup on the counter. "I care that McNeill is gone, I care that I lost my squad on that fucking planet, but how does my falling to pieces benefit them or myself in any way? Why exactly do we have to talk about this now rather than later?"

"Because later turns into never eventually," Lexine countered. "Look, I'm not saying we speak of it right this second, but I don't want this to become a dirty little secret we can't talk to each other about. I've seen what that does to people and I'm sure you have too."

Lexine was a rather bothersome creature when she was right on the money. Whether it was breaking up a fight, or declaring with a passion the need for emotional communication, she always made a point he couldn't counter. He didn't want to break that promise he made with himself years ago after the war. After he Nathan went their separate ways, Gabe never had to do much of talking about anything. He internalized it, sorted through in his head and allowed (or rather, forced) the memories to retreat to the back of his head.

He functioned relatively well for never addressing it and in like this situation, Gabe planned to let the situation on Aegis and _Ishimura_ fall into the background, vying to try and focus on rebuilding some semblance of a life. He tried breaking down before; he stared at himself in the mirror of Gibson's bathroom, tried to will hisself to cry or buckle underneath the enormity of his experience until he grew tired of his visage. Nothing occurred besides a tiny little twinge that amounted to nothing but an itch. Now, when he finally chose to lock it down, he found himself confronted with the one person he assumed would want to do the same. Instead, she wanted to pick at a wound that didn't have a scab.

"You really want to do this?"

"It's not exactly something I'm looking forward to, but it's not a subject we shouldn't avoid either."

"Alright, fine, if you- we can talk about it, just… let me think a little by myself, alright?" He conceded.

The ghost of fear and relief seemed to flood Lexine's very being. Her body slumped closer to the counter. "Alright, thank you, Gabe," Lexine, reacting more pure instinct than rationale, wrapped one arm around his waist and hugged him. Gabe reacted accordingly, tensing up and twisting away from her like he'd been jabbed in the kidney. "Christ, Lex, I'm still injured," He hissed, the charity he felt toward the girl evaporating immediately.

"Sorry," Lexine apologized. A moment passed before she chose to distance herself from his spot at the counter, but she didn't go very far. Gabe observed in silent contemplation as she climbed into the indention of the couch and pulled the plaid blanket over her shoulders. Lexine fighting the lull of sleep, eyes snapping open every other moment when she realized she drifted off, made the wheels in his head click rapidly. To be alone was the easiest thing in the world for him. Easy as it was to assimilate into certain social groups, Gabe believed he healed the best when he was alone and he suffocated his problems with constant productivity.

Yet, the more time he spent with her, the more he started to question whether his course of action was truly the best one.


	7. Year 2509 I, 03:00AM

**Title:** Year 2509 I

**Prompt:** (03:00/3AM) "Determination, especially in matters that seem to hold you back."

* * *

There were a lot of helpful things Lexine expected to see scrolling on the bottom half of her computer screen; general navigation, file names, her schedule, private messages. _Titan News_ in particular offered her valuable information on a day-to-day basis on the progression of the world outside her during her stay on the Sprawl. Without it, she felt it would be all too easy to disconnect from space that didn't orbit around Titan Station, a floating city in and of itself what with how it sustained its populace.

At three in the morning, when all of the station was at its quietest and the gentle hum of the desk and lamplights overhead, Lexine's instances of late night work hours were kept relatively stimulating with random news tidbits on the controlled temperatures and simulated sunrises and sunsets.

Of course, with all pleasant things, there must also be a bitter element. And she didn't see it coming. If anything could be said about the passage of time, it's that the most haunting things can be set aside for a kinder reality if allowed. Though it lurked almost every day when she remembered why she was standing where she was, Lexine managed to fall under the seductive lull of normal civilian life and was ready to put it behind her.

Until she saw the report announcing the recovery of the USG _Ishimura_ from deep space after the destruction of Aegis VII. Two announcements made one, Lexine felt the acidic taste of her own bile tickle the back of her throat as her stomach heaved and her breath became constricted under the rate of her own heartbeat. Aegis was destroyed, blown across the expanse of space, only to be remembered as a victim of… a terrorist attack?

"What?" Lexine scanned across the article linked to the toolbar below once, then twice and three times for confirmation. "Earth Government officials report Doctor Isabel Cho of the USG _O'Bannon_ confessed to the destruction of the _Ishimura_, _O'Bannon_ and the Aegis VII for reasons as of yet revealed…" Lexine read and re-read the sentence again, her eyes shifting toward the professional photograph of a woman in a plain CEC quarantine uniform, her expression vacant and her mouth slightly agape. On the right, a comparison photograph of Cho smiling alongside her colleagues presented a stark contrast to the hollow figure she was now. "Damaged beyond repair, the remains of the _O'Bannon_ were salvaged for evidence, while the derelict _Ishimura_ is said to been recovered by Earth Defense Secretary David Chang's crew aboard the USM _Victory_ via anonymous tip. …_Ishimura_ is expected to dock at Titan Station in… three weeks' time." Oh, God. Lexine's fingers fell away from the screen, trembling.

The _Ishimura_ was being brought to the Sprawl. They were bringing the ship here! "Lexie, what are you still doing up at this hour?" Her employer, a grade six surveyor named Miranda Lewis, startled her to attention. Turning in her chair, Lexine failed to close the window in time before the older woman saw it. Miranda took one look at the screen and frowned. "Can you believe one woman did all of that?" She shook her head. "It's terrible, all those people, her crew. I can't imagine what their families must be going through right now." In another show of sympathy, Miranda wiped her cheek of any potential tears that may have gotten past her defenses.

It was all Lexine wanted to grab her employer by the lapels and let the truth bubble forth her lips. This was all wrong. One look inside the _Ishimura_, just remembering its distorted interior - every surface painted with the gore of the slaughtered crew and anyone could tell no human was capable that kind of carnage. Rising from her desk she grabbed her backpack and straightened her _Peng_ hoodie. "I'm sorry, Miss Miranda, I have to go," She said. Miranda took one look away from the computer screen to regard Lexine then nodded, "O-of course, Lexie, I'll see you tomorrow," She dismissed the girl, eyes watering. Lexine made a brief gesture of consolidation, her hand squeezing Miranda's shoulder, before she darted out of the office and to the nearest elevator.

The halls were vacant of CEC employees, it appeared that only herself and Miranda were still up working on their projects while everyone else had the sense to go home and sleep. A few security guards roamed the halls in sporadic shifts, some nodded to her when she entered their line of sight and she smiled back, maintaining a façade of calm. Like second nature her hand accessed the holographic panel on the elevator door and waited for the lift to reach her floor. She accessed her RIG and glanced over her contacts list for the sake of looking busy under the scrutinizing gaze of Sprawl security. Aside from a few work, takeout and retail store numbers, her only personal contacts there that of Gabe and Williams.

Both of them lived in the same apartment, she was bound to get lucky if she contacted either RIG, but the safer choice would be Gabe. She stepped inside the elevator and leaned against the wall, the doors closed as a security officer approached, gun in clear view. "Computer, contact RIG 681392," Using voice command versus holographic panel saved her a little time. The video screen appeared immediately, illuminating the darkness of a room she assumed was either Gabe's or someplace he left his RIG. "Gabe? Gabe are you there?" She asked.

There was a rustle somewhere in the room followed by the appearance of a shoulder as the body proceeded to turn on its back. Gabe's head appeared from out behind the pillow and glared at the wide-eyed expression on his friend's face. "There had better be a good reason for calling me at this hour," He barely sounded awake. "I've got work first thing this morning."

"There is. Check your link for Titan News," She said.

"What, the gossip show?" His gaze shifted to the right, presumably to check the navigation toolbar on his video screen. "The hell did this application come from?"

"Gabe, they're automatically added to every RIG on the station. And it's not a gossip show."

"The hell it isn't," He remarked pulling away from his RIG.

"Just check it, will you, please?" Lexine exclaimed. What followed was an agitated puff of breath and the weary grumbles of a man barely recovered from an overtime shift. She watched him reach over and pull a t-shirt over his head and proceed to open the Titan News application.

He disappeared from the screen for a moment; she was greeted by a super deformed carton image of a man in orange-gray patrol armor with his arms folded, tapping his foot. Lexine stepped out of the elevator and headed toward the Transport Hub, the area was a little busier than the surveying facility, occupied by those coming off a late shift or entering the early morning shift.

Traveling through the tunnel exit, Lexine found herself on the deck for the tram station. The tram entered the station in a timely fashion, she waited three minutes at best. Lexine boarded and sat in the seat closest to the exit. Checking her RIG she found the trooper was still tapping his foot, occasionally glancing toward her and shrugging his shoulders. Did Gabe loose the connection or was it the tram she was currently on?

"Gabe?"

"Still here," He said. The little patrol trooper disappeared and Gabe reappeared on the screen, looking just as a tired. He scrubbed his face wearily, the long and somnolent breath that escaped him said a thousand different things about his feelings on his the subject. "They're actually bringing the damn thing here?"

"I can't believe it myself," She said. "Should we-"

"I don't- no, no, that might - let's just see what happens first, okay?" Gabe suggested.

Lexine started to nod in the affirmative then paused just as quickly, remembering what happened when colony security was slow to respond to the growing threat on Aegis. "Are you sure? The last time we waited-"

"Positive. Just go home, get some sleep and we'll talk tomorrow." As Gabe started to deactivate their link, she raised her hand, fingers curled in the same cautious manner that reminded him of an out-of-sorts rookie. "What is it, Lex?" He asked.

"Is it alright if I could stay at yours and Gibson's?" Lexine inquired. "I don't feel like being on my own."

"Sure, sure. Just be quiet when you come in," Gabe obliged.

"Alright, thank you," The transmission ended, Lexine sat back in her chair with a sigh. The tram stopped a few times before eventually bringing her to Titan Heights. Disembarking, Lexine traveled through the transitional tube that would lead into the foyer of the Heights apartments. The environment was a mixture of warm colors illuminated by a golden chandelier light. Couches were placed strategically against the walls just a few feet away from the pillars that framed the reference desk. It was welcoming, the perfect picture of a picturesque home of their century.

Gibson Williams' apartment was located on the second floor of the complex at the very end of the hall. The man had a theory about the door on the farthest end of a hall. The closer you were to the exit, the better your chances of survival were come the End of Times. Entering the elevator, Lexine made the short trip up to the second floor and proceeded toward the apartment. The doorway was unlocked when she approached. She touched the holographic panel, entering when the door ascended.

Instead of finding a vacant living room, Lexine was greeted by Gabe sitting hunched over on the couch, cleaning with his pistol while the TV played softly in the background. "Gabe, what are you doing up?" She stopped when he jabbed his finger to the left. Gibson's snoring drifted out from the bedroom on the left, the door left slightly ajar. "Gibbs is being a bit loud to sleep through. I've only got an hour before my shift starts," He said by way of explanation, eyes wandering upward. "You look nice."

"Oh, this?" Lexine tugged at her _Peng_ hoodie self-consciously, moving around the coffee table she sat down next to him on the couch. "Just something I got myself." Kicking off her flats she drew her legs underneath her and leant against the cushions.

"I actually meant-" He raised one hand and made a clawing gesture at his head. "Your haircut." Lexine sat a little more upright, her hand moving to check the sharp edges of her hair, cut short in the pixie style. In spite of how she was feeling, she blushed. "Thank you, I like yours too." Gabe quirked an eyebrow at her, unconvinced. As far as he was concerned, letting his hair grow out and keeping it relatively level just above his ears was nothing remarkably noteworthy like the complete decimation of long locks.

"You should get some sleep," Lexine said after a moment.

"I'll sleep during lunch, Bartlett won't mind," Gabe answered, disassembling the Divet a second time since getting up. Lexine's fingers tapped softly against her cheek, seemingly content with the silence and dimly lit atmosphere of the living room. "I can't believe Aegis is gone," She whispered absentmindedly, teeth pressing her teeth against the skin of her pinky finger. Gabe stopped messing with his gun long enough to regard her. Reaching over he removed her finger from between teeth and messaged the skin. "It was gone the moment we got off planet, Lex," He rebuked. "Anyone still there was a good as dead, you know that."

"No, I know, I know it was gone, but, to hear that it was destroyed…," Lexine trailed off, shutting her eyes. "It really means that my… my dad is really dead." Gabe watched as she started to cry, feeling uncomfortable and out of sorts. He wasn't an unfeeling man, but Nathan was so much better dealing with people quick to cry at the drop of a dime. Even after a year of dealing with his and Lexine's own respective breakdowns, there was something about the initial onset of tears that caused his mind to lock up and inhibit the empathetic side of him he tended to willingly neglect.

Placing the half completed gun on the table, he scooted closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lex, you're gonna wake Gibson up," He warned gently. Lexine's mascara, now running down her cheeks, brought to focus the incredulous expression on her face. "My family's dead and you're worried about waking your friend up?" She breathed, suckling on her lip as she inhaled. Well, shit, Gabe thought, he put his foot in his mouth that time. "Lex, you've known for a long time-"

"Well, this makes it permanent now, doesn't it?!" She nearly bellowed in the face of his raised hands. "I spent years thinking he got off the planet... thinking maybe he was hurt or just didn't reach me. God, Weller, why can't you- why are you such an arsehole!"

"Jesus, Lex, I'm sorry," He blurted. "I didn't mean it like that, I was just saying-"

"What? That I shouldn't cry over what I already know? Man up, be a soldier?" When Gabe's eyes shifted guiltily to the right, Lexine inhaled deeply, trying to prevent any further noises from bubbling to the surface. "Well, I'm sorry, I can't. He—he was my father and I loved him. He didn't deserve to die like that. None of them did." Her entire expression crumbled into series wrinkles as the blood rushed across her face and another sob escaped her.

In the face of his own grievous errors, Gabe wrapped one arm around her and pulled her against him, Lexine landed a slap on his side, causing him to jump back. "Arsehole," Lexine grabbed him by the arm and hugged him anyway, her sobs were reduced to hiccupping whimpers. It was odd feeling, the sensation of another body trembling against him. Lexine's need for physical familiarity with the people she knew was something that took getting used to. Personal space was a valued asset to Gabe. It's what kept him alive and it was what everyone else around him did, his environment often strictly professional.

Yet, with the tables turned and more than a few bizarre brushes with death, Gabe was reevaluating his trained emotional distance and was slowly, if not begrudgingly, realizing… this wasn't such an awful thing, rotten as the circumstances were. "It's alright, Lex, you'll be alright," He whispered, rubbing her back. Lexine heaved breath in and out of her lungs trying to keep her sobbing to minimal. Turning on her side she kept her arms fast around his waist. "I'm, okay."

"Are you?" He asked, a little confused by her mantra. It was one thing for him to say it, seeing as he was trying to comfort her. But for her to say it, it tended to convey another meaning entirely.

Lexine shook her head, tears still running down her cheeks. "Not, really, but if I keep telling myself that, it might be true," She coughed. He fell back against the couch and closed his eyes. He listened to Lexine's shaky breaths until they became even again. Glancing at the clock, he realized he would barely have enough time to sneak in a power nap.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, he was sleep and the official morning time of the station was fast approaching. Gibson was shaking him awake in no time flat, a wry grin on his thin lips. "Taken a shine to the "nice girl" have we, partner?" Feeling a bit like a criminal with his hand in the cookie jar, Gabe did not engage his friend's teasing.

Pulling himself from Lexine's arms, he went to freshen himself up and proceeded to rush to work, hoping to catch the tram before it left him behind. Lexine woke to the comfort of an empty couch and the smell of eggs. Pulling the blanket from off her shoulders she eyed the note propped up on the coffee table.

"See you after work, we'll talk more later :3

-Gabe"


	8. Year 2509 II 04:00AM

**Title:** Year 2509 II

**Prompt:** (04:00/4AM) "Improved luck or victory over a specific set of deterring circumstances."

* * *

Since their inception over sixty years ago, the Titan Station Security Forces were considered top of the line protection that allowed for only the best mankind could offer by way of technical, militaristic and scientific defensive and offensive skill. So long as your allegiance was with the station's safety and its director's creed without question, you were welcomed into the fold.

Physicality, of course, was another primary factor and as he was a year ago, Gabe wouldn't pass the physical examine until he recovered from the gunshot wound Eckhardt was so kind to bless him with. So, much to Lexine and Gibson's chagrin, he worked to rebuild hisself. Dancing on the edge of caution's blade, he worked his body as much he could, nutritionally and physically until he couldn't crawl out of bed. He slept when it was necessary and got himself evaluated every once and a while to make sure the wound was healing properly.

Lexine knew well enough, that as someone who's been accustomed to a particular field of work, there was no removing yourself from a comfort zone and replacing it with another. Surveying wasn't something she always dreamed of doing as a child, but it was field of employment she respected and was grateful to be a part of. As much as she dismayed over the fact that Gabe felt more comfortable wielding a weapon than trying his hand at something else, she understood his need be in position he fought for.

As a soldier, he fought to protect his way of life, shrinking as it was. As a security officer under the command of Alyssa Vincent, he felt he could put his skills - no longer necessary to fight for needed to be protected - to protecting others and much of the same mentality worked on Titan Station. Lexine might have helped put that in perspective with a 4AM conversation on yet another visitation to the kitchen. "Nate told me something once," She said. "Back on the _Ishimura_, I always noticed how he always seemed to care about what you thought, always worried about being later than you expected."

"Nate was always bad at staying on top of time," Gabe mused, taking a quick shot of alcohol. "Always late to drills, never moved fast enough for me or our superiors, and I pushed him until he snapped, but he got better. But, you were saying?"

"When we were coming to meet you in shuttle way on the _Ishimura_, I told Nate that he cared about you more than you deserved," She continued. "I thought you were arsehole."

"I can be, it's true," Gabe chuckled. "He probably agreed with you."

"No," Lexine shook her head. "No, instead of defending you or condemning you, he just told me things between you and him were "complicated". That you actually enjoyed what you were doing because it was the only you did well. That bothered me, it bothered me a lot because it made me wonder what kind of person I'd gotten stuck with when he died. It wasn't until I started talking to you that I realized what he meant. You don't enjoy killing, you just wanted to survive. And it was the same with him, only I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he gave me the chance you wouldn't."

And it was true enough. Where fear typically exhibited itself in the manner most was used to seeing, his fear tended to translate through anger. He hated being afraid, he hated how handicapped the mind became because of it. He hated dying more, so he chose to be mad at his situation as opposed to crawling into a hole and praying to God to make it all go away. Though pragmatism reminded him that, first and foremost, he could not save just himself, it was second nature to Gabe to want to. The way those creatures picked every person in their group off, one by one, his chances appeared greater on his own. Yet, the lives of the "innocent" were taught to be his first priority and that was one order too practiced to rebel against, lest he wanted to live with a guilty conscience. More importantly, protecting Lexine was his priority and one he actually grew to care about once he got a grip on his emotions. Joining the Security Forces would give him the wherewithal to do just that and push him to remain on top of his game.

Lexine wasn't ignorant to the nature of her reality - not all of it anyway - but if he could maintain some semblance of what she considered a normal lifestyle, free her from the burden of protecting herself from the horrors that still haunted them then he would provide such an environment for her.

* * *

Gabe arrived at the LAA23 shuttle bay that late afternoon exhausted and sore from his shift. Lexine contacted him that morning with barely contained excitement, saying she had something to show him after his shift was over.

He spent most of his day going over a checklist of possible surprises that she could have had in store for him when he arrived at the bay; exciting news over a future planet she could get survey for terra forming, or perhaps a new _Peng_ hoodie and a brand new pair of trainers for Zero-G basketball? The possibilities were limited by the expectation of his imagination alone and the moment it was time for him to leave work, Gabe was good and a ready to find out.

"Gabe, over here!" He looked to his right and found her standing next to a sleek Wai Lao-Class shuttle and a beautiful one at that. Curious, Gabe jogged down the ramp and made his way over to the excitable Lexine who held her arms out like a showgirl on a game show. "What's all this, then?"

"It's a shuttle, silly," Lexine swatted him on the arm.

"Well, I know that," He answered. "I just mean, what are you doing over here with it?"

"It's ours," Lexine announced proudly, one hand on her hip while the other revealed a series of paper clipped together, folded up for him to see. Gabe regarded the paper with mild suspicion, taking it from her possession he read it over. Lexine was the certified owner of the shuttle, Gabe was listed as the pilot. He regarded her happiness with open concern. "Lex, we don't have the money for this kind of thing, we'd have to sell both of our apartments twice over just cover a payment," Gabe said.

They'd been grounded ever since _Fujinara_ was confiscated for its relation to the _Ishimura_, no credits to buy another for their own personal use. Gabe had no means of traveling from the Station and Lexine was only given the chance to leave when she was with her surveying team. They weren't in any particular rush to obtain a shuttle, but the necessity of its presence was never far from their minds. "Miranda was kind enough to give me hers when she found a new shuttle to for her team," Lexine explained.

"She just gave it to you?"

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe?"

Gabe made a lazy gesture toward the shuttle. "Have you seen this thing? A Wai-Lo class shuttle and she's just gonna give it to you, no strings attached?" He took another moment to look it over. White and red paintjob, it's long and sleek form reminiscent of the old shuttles of the 21st century, its nose board and round, aiming downward to balance out the long wingspan in the back. "It's a thing of beauty, more or less. You'd have to be crazy to give it up."

"According to you maybe, but I think she was just being nice," Lexine objected ignoring the sidelong look Gabe was giving her. "When I get some free time I might try for getting a few piloting lessons. I don't see the sense in only one of us knowing how to fly."

"Good idea," Gabe nodded in agreement. "How's work coming along?"

"Well enough, I suppose. It's kind of the work I used to do on Aegis VII only now I can do it in zero gravity and with better equipment," Lexine rocked back on her heels with a smile. "It has its perks. How's work going for you? Get to tackle anyone yet?"

"Hardly!" He scoffed. "I'm still the new guy at the station, so they haven't quite finished 'hazing' me yet so to speak."

"But you're a sergeant, aren't you? Are they allowed to do that to you?"

"Not really, but, it's not like I can't handle it," Gabe answered. "Besides, most of it is just pranks."

"That wasn't what I asked you, though. Are they allowed to do that to you?"

"Again, not officially, no."

"Why are you letting them? Why aren't you reporting their behavior?"

"Technically speaking, I'm not letting them do anything. Anyone who's remotely participated in playing cat and mouse has a parting gift to show for it. They won't say anything because they don't want it known they got pulverized by the old man," Gabe elaborated.

"I still think you should report them," Lexine stated firmly. "You might have it under control now, but who's to say they won't get out hand later?"

"If it makes you feel better, the next time they try something I'll report to Bartlett or Tiedemann, how's that?" Lexine frowned, not completely convinced Gabe would act on the word given, but nodded all the same. "Can we take a look inside or haven't you got the keys?"

"Miranda hasn't quite yet relinquished the voice command from her RIG synchronization yet," At Gabe's laughter she said, "I just wanted to show you what it looked like. She said she'd de-sync and give to them to me first thing tomorrow."

"Right, right, I'll believe it when I see it, Lex," He continued to laugh.

"You owe me a bed in breakfast if she does."

"Consider it done, then. I told you no one gives away a shuttle like this."

Lexine scoffed, confident she would win their bet. "We'll see."

* * *

**Author's Note:** The following chapter prompt (6:00/6AM) is split three chapters. The first will address the prompt mentioned, the rest are just extra stories that made the chapter feel overlong in the tooth.


	9. Year 2509 III, 06:00AM 2

**Title:** Year 2509 III

**Prompt:** (06:00/6AM) "Tenacity and perseverance, especially with something you have been putting off."

* * *

**(November 2509)**

In the year and half she's known Gabe, Lexine recognized there was very little she knew about him other than his being a soldier of misbegotten war and a security officer aboard the USG _Ishimura_. Was he Earthborn or born someplace on the colonized planets? How old was he, what were his parents like? Hell, what was life before he was broken down and built back up to suit the purposes of his chosen career? The list went on and on. Granted, she never asked him directly and Gabe was content to keep his sorted stories to himself unless he was speaking with Gibson.

She told him plenty about her life, often without solicitation. Anything that reminded her of her father or her life before his arrival was recounted with nostalgic want to return to a seemingly easier time in her life. The simple dinners she would have with her father, that awkward first date with Sam on a deserted playground from the first colony, the offhanded conversations about level or uneven ground with her co-workers. "Whatever happened to your mum? She stayed on Earth?" Gabe asked.

"In a way; she died from some type of exposure when she and her extraction team were excavating the old railway in Magherafelt. Doctors couldn't tell what it was. I was only sixteen, but I remember how sick she was," Lexine recounted. "After she died, dad thought it was a good idea to leave Earth and live on Aegis VII once I completed my education."

"Aegis was a pretty industrial place, I can't imagine surveying was a dream job," Gabe remarked.

"No, but it was an opportunity to explore the system, stretch my legs," Lexine elaborated. "It also got my father to open up a little about my mother. He told me a lot of things I never knew about her. Did you know, she originally wanted to be an archeologist? Of course you didn't, you never met her, but that was a surprise for me."

As he promised, whenever she asked, he told her anything she wanted to know about Nathan McNeill unless he was sworn under the penalty of death to never speak of a certain subject. No, his hair never really receded, his pants size was classified. As a result, Lexine looked forward to visiting Gibson's apartment just to see him. Nathan, according to Gabe, led neither a complicated or simple lifestyle on the deteriorating planet of Earth in a home in Vancouver, Canada. Received the initial chuck of his education at home with his father, a former teacher, went to college in Utah before dropping out in his senior year. He was eldest of four children with a mother who worked for Earth Government Defense Forces; he was placed in the position of primary caretaker more often than not, which was a large part of why he joined the military. He wanted to protect his family from the oncoming storm.

Gabe never knew what happened to his mother or siblings after they departed for Scorpio 6, Nathan either lost track of them when Vancouver began to flood or reunited with sometime after the war. "Never had much chance to ask him on the _Ishimura_," Gabe joked. McNeill was every bit the man she imagined he was without the presence of the particular circumstances that brought them together. Her heart ached at the fact that she would never get to know him any more than Gabe's knowledge would permit. Still, every question she asked helped her gather the courage to approach the ones that kept her curiosity chomping at the bit. "What about you Weller? Why did you join the war effort? Honor and glory or was it money?"

"Nothing so superficial," Gabe answered. "Same as McNeill: I wanted to protect my family. Dad was soldier, my mother and her family was farmers. They provided a stable home if dad was off on assignment and we were doing pretty well until a drought hit us. Supplies ran low, our crops failed and pretty soon we had to relocate someplace we could survive. My parents were devastated, ashamed by the fact that they couldn't support themselves, much less me. I blamed the damned space race; the colonists, the government and anything else for our problems, so naturally I joined the Earth Government's military hoping get a little revenge and do right by my parents, my father in particular. I wanted to show them I could help.

"I moved up the ranks pretty well. We were about six years into the war when I first met McNeill in New York. He was a Lt. at that point. We butted heads often over what to do - alpha male complex and all that - but we got on well enough once we got used to each other. We were usually the only commanding officers in our squad, so we learned to share command. By the time we realized the campaign had all but moved on to mining planets for resources, Scorpio 6 and Uxor were the last campaigns participated in. Planet cracking was on such a rise I guess everyone got bored of fighting and hung up their guns," He explained. "Probably not that simple, but that's how it felt. We requested a discharge and got them, which was extremely lucky."

"What happened to your parents?" Lexine dared to ask. "Uh, well, I know my mom is alive somewhere on Earth. My dad was killed some time I was offplanet, in the USG _Arizona_ incident." Lexine grimaced. The "_Arizona_ Incident", the destruction of USG's first and only carrier on its way to space sabotaged by unknown personnel aboard wasn't incident that went unnoticed, even out as far as Aegis VII's system. "Dad was at the base when it crashed and I- no one thought to tell me until I was living on the Sprawl. I couldn't get a grave commemorated for dad, EarthGov thought it was best not to seeing as his body was vaporized along everything else on the base."

"I'm so sorry," She told him.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago," He shrugged the apology off. "I spent a little time on the Sprawl with Nate then we went our separate ways. Nate, back to Earth, me, off to Borealis. I lived there for the next five years before I was recruited by Chief Vincent for her security detail on the _Ishimura_ when the ship came to refuel," He finished. "So, you see? There's nothing glamorous or decidedly tragic about me, just a plain grunt's story."

"I appreciated hearing it none of the less," Lexine reciprocated. "Whatever happened to your mother?"

"Uh, I tried to find her, but I didn't know where to start. I couldn't look her up in the directory because she never registered for a RIG." He sighed, tossing his cup into the sink. "I spent six months looking for her in Singapore before I gave up. I haven't gone back to Earth since."

She pressed, "Have you looked since then? She could be searching for you."

"I didn't exactly have my head on straight back then," He offered by way of explanation. "Besides, it's been over ten years since I stepped foot on earth," Gabe said. "My mother was in her late forties - roughly my age now - when I enlisted, who's to say she's even alive?" The change in life expectancy, Lexine thought to herself. It went without saying, no matter how royally mankind fucked up what was once their only home in the name of whatever justified the corrosive means of the time, the minor shift in the lifestyle extended the human lifespan beyond the 50-60 expiration dates. "Look at Gibson; you tell me he's older than yourself and McNeill combined and he's still kicking," Lexine offered up the only viable example to trump his nihilistic outlook on his mother's fate.

"I only say that because I don't actually know how old he is," Gabe deadpanned. "He won't tell me."

"Gabe-"

"Lexine, please, I'd rather not go back down this road again."

"If I knew I still had someone out there who loved me, I would keep searching for them until I knew if they were alive or dead," Lexine declared. "This woman gave everything to raise you, the least you do is let her know you're alive and find her." The silence between them was pronounced; when Gabe didn't answer, she added, "Just consider it, please? I don't assume to know what you went through, but if there even the slightest chance of finding her again, please try."

"Fine, you bully, I'll try again," Though his voice was terse, the attempt at passing humor wasn't missed. "But, don't expect her welcome you with open arms. My mother was quite particular about my not marrying just any woman I met."

"Who said anything about marrying you?" Lexine scoffed, following him out of the kitchen, sandwich in hand. "Who'd want to, anyway?"

"Well, your boss for starters." Gabe situated himself on the couch and turned the television on. Lexine joined him on the couch, fighting to keep the contents of her meal between the slices of bread. "Miranda isn't exactly the greatest counter argument to use here," She remarked.

"Who would be exactly, the gaggle twentysomething girls who keep calling me a Dill-if behind my back when I tell them to congregate someplace besides the front of a store?" Gabe shot back, ignoring the astounded look on her face. "They could at least insult me in English." Lexine had to pull her sandwich away from her mouth in order to laugh. Gabe shot her a sidelong look, more than a little baffled by her reaction. Realizing what was developing before her eyes, she asked, "Gabe, you don't know what they called you?"

He shrugged. "No, should I?"

"But it's such an old word. It's in the dictionary by now, I'm sure," Lexine snickered. She watched as the wheels in his mind turned and his left wrist twitched, resisting the obvious urge to call up the dictionary on his RIG. "I can tell you if you want," She offered, nibbling the crust from her sandwich. "It's not derogatory, I promise."

That seemed to loosen him up a bit. "Alright, then, what does it mean?" He asked.

"Dad's I'd like to fuck," At his bewildered expression, she shrugged. "That's it. They fancied you and that monocle helmet, apparently."

"That is so juvenile," He muttered with a sigh. "I'm not even a father."

"Well, it's like you said. They're girls, just kids," Lexine patted him on the shoulder. "Not exactly a great measuring stick of what to fancy in the opposite sex."

For once, Gabe chose not challenge the double meaning with a retort. He kept watching the screen, pretending not to notice the impish grin on his friend's lips.

* * *

**Note:** In the recesses of my sleep deprived mind, I've just come to the conclusion I've made a bunch of alternate prompts for the "6:00AM" prompt and I can only think its because I've been doing these things largely out of order. These are the following and not count to the 24 prompt count made available by the challenge.


	10. Year 2509 IV, 06:00AM 3

**Title:** Year 2509 IV

**Prompt:** (06:00/6AM) "Tenacity and perseverance, especially with something you have been putting off."

* * *

**(July 2509)**

Against her better judgment, Lexine swung wide and aimed for his head. Gabe ducked, punching with his left. It was only a tap, she'd felt the full blow of his punches before and was sent reeling backward. This time she just stumbled backward - whether from her own exhaustion or genuine interruption of balance was anyone's guess.

"Again," He raised his hands accordingly, grinning all the while. Lexine, arms at the ready and feet poised in the opposite to his own, regarded him with some suspicion. He didn't wait for her to get her bearings; he launched his next attack, a punch aimed for her side. Instead of moving like she was supposed to, Lexine jumped completely out of the way, arms raised over her head. "Lex," By this point in the session her name was a show of exasperation instead of an actual reprimand. In his effort to oblige her request and teach her some semblance of self-defense, Gabe found the hardest lesson was teaching her to unlearn her typical responses to aggression.

If he threw a punch, she would instinctively duck and throw her arms over her head if he didn't knock down. If he kicked, she fell over, feet in air and her rear end on display for every man to see. He managed to catch her in an arm lock, she failed like a madman. In a panic, her fingers would curl like cat claws in an effort to claw her opponent's eyes out.

If her opponent was an inanimate object, Lexine suddenly punched and kicked like an athlete ready for five rounds. Identifying her problem suddenly wasn't an issue anymore, lifeless things she could hit. Getting her to overcome the fear of landing a punch on a person, focusing when someone grabbed her from behind, on the other hand, was a problem. "I can do better, I know it," Lexine reaffirmed falling back into her defensive position. "Then do better, don't just tell me," Gabe groused. "It won't matter if you can't land a hit."'

Their training sessions never went for longer than and an hour and a half; they always took place six in the morning, Gabe's usual fitness hour and on she eventually became adjusted to. Despite Lexine's regular fitness routine, the repetition of learning how to land a punch consistently on a moving or immobile human target took more than "a lot" out of her. The sore muscles and aching limbs never seemed worth it. He'd never admit it to her, but she was getting better - at a snail's pace, but better. He just had to remind himself not to bristle like the drill Sergeant that never quite left his head after training was over. "Just pretend I'm some co-worker you don't like, it shouldn't be hard," He suggested.

Lexine looked dismayed. "I don't have anyone I don't like at work. Everyone's been a sport to me," She replied.

"Well, make one up, or better yet-" He raised one finger in a show of the sudden bright idea that hit him, "You didn't like me when we first met, you don't even have to visualize hating me. Just do it." Lexine looked as if she was going to protest; instead he received a look of deep concentration and resolve. "Whenever you're ready to man up-" Lexine launched herself forward, she made another swing at his head with her right arm. Whether it was a result of distraction or ducking the wrong way, he moved right into the path of her left fist as it came swinging forward.

A thousand profanities spun a web in his head when her fist collided against face, the weight of his own body sent him stumbling back. Sprawled across the floor, wide eyed, Gabe saw the dark creep out from around the edges and blind him. The passage of time and the tingle in his brain responding to the smell of hartshorn left him unsure how long he was out. He stared up at the ceiling, Lexine and another woman's forms came into focus, obscuring the ceiling behind them. "Are you alright?" Lexine looked petrified, while the other woman patted Gabe on the cheek. "He's fine," She sighed, stepping out of sight. "You've got a mean punch, lady."

"Thanks …I think?" Lexine tried to keep her pride tapered, remembering her teacher was lying at her feet. She extended her hand to Gabe. He grasped it firmly and helped her pull his body upright. Lexine helped him regain balance, hands on his sides and ready to catch him. Across from them, the woman who he spotted before tossed her towel over her shoulder. She grabbed her bag from off the floor, a playful smile on her lips. "Trust me, anyone who knocks a guy flat on his ass like should take it as a compliment," She said.

Lexine felt her chest swell with excitement as she watched the redhead depart from the gym. It was nice to get a compliment unhindered by constructive criticism. When she turned, her eyes met Gabe's slightly unfocused gaze. "Are you alright?" Lexine asked again. His answer, largely delayed, was a hysterical giggle. He wasn't sure if was because his pride was wounded or he was overjoyed she managed to land a hit on him, but he couldn't help but laugh. "Lexine, we'll make a fighter out of you yet," He replied, rubbing his jaw.

"That's a relief," She huffed. "I told you I could do it."

"So you did, but don't get cocky. You've got a ways to go before you can repeat the process consistently," Gabe groaned, closing his eyes against the throbbing in his jaw. "Alright, class dismissed, go freshen up."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Lexine mock saluted the soldier and skipped off to the showers. "Cheeky bird," He muttered. Gabe remained behind long enough to gather their belongings into the duffle bag then headed off to the exit. His wait for Lexine amounted to a grand total of five minutes; she came out of the woman's washroom smelling fresh as a daisy and looking equally as refreshed. That tranquil look on her face, however, came to an abrupt halt when she caught a whiff of him. "Oh, Gabe," She pinched her nose in acute displeasure. "Why haven't you washed?"

"Men's washroom is out of order until repairs are made," Was the simplified version of an elaborate lie. He really just wanted to use Gibson's bathroom and bathe in peace. Lexine shook her head in obvious disapproval. He followed her out of the gym and headed back to Titan Heights, Lexine two steps ahead of him every inch of the way. "I don't smell that bad!" He tried to defend himself. "Yes, yes, you do," Lexine countered.


	11. Year 2509 V, 06:00AM 4

**Title:** Year 2509 V

**Prompt:** (06:00/6AM) "Tenacity and perseverance, especially with something you have been putting off."

* * *

**(December 2509)**

"What would you say if I asked you out?"

Unlike most things in their lives now, it wasn't a premeditated decision. There was no plan for a contingency looming over the hill. Lexine, slowly working her way back into the swing of surveying full time, never actually considered it a viable option. Not because he was undesirable, far from it (when he wanted to be, Gabe was a rather fetching man), but because she didn't think he saw her that way. She suspected her excuse was that the road that got them to the point of friendship was rocky. Why rock the boat a fourth time with romantic pursuit?

"I would probably ask, 'well, what brought this on, Gabe'? You never seemed interested before."

Besides, if she was quantifying, Gabe never seemed the type that went beyond harmless flirtation and casual dating. A sturdy romantic relationship, on the other hand, that seemed reserved for the ghost of a woman he never spoke nor thought of. What's more, Gabe never appeared to regard her as anything except a friend, or worse, a little girl (or maybe she was internalizing their age difference). Still, death had a way of making you look at things differently. Where she would've broken ties with him under normal circumstances, Lexine remained relatively close to him. She appreciated the gradual familiarity they learned as time went on. Their bodies weren't so much in sync as they just knew when and how the other would move, how to avoid each other. The learned distance and standoffish behavior from their respective societies evaporated the more they simply talked to each other.

"Well, I'm interested now, so how about it?"

Lexine had a way of working around the exterior of his "armor" and by all rights it was never an intentional move (according to her). He swore to the memory of Nathan that he would protect her no matter the cost was to hisself, he never thought he had the option of rejecting the responsibility. She was special to Nate, Gabe figured he was in love with her and it wasn't hard to see why that was, really.

"I dunno, what's in for me?"

Where Eckhardt and the Marker heads saw her as some type of object to poke and prod because of that one "unique attribute", those she truly affected saw her for the special person she was. Lexine was a sun and everyone who had the fortune of meeting her would always be pulled into her obit and unconsciously revolve around her even when they were no longer near her. And maybe that was putting her on some God-like pedestal, but it was truth. Try as he might to fight that same effect, Gabe eventually followed suit. And for that reason, he felt rather undeserving of her and intrusive on the line his friend never really crossed.

"A lovely night on Inverted City, I figure. No levelers, no security. Just food and nothing but containment glass between us the yawning blackness of space."

She was just a happy person, not in the sense that left her oblivious to hardship (that was rather impossible at this point) or clueless, but her positivism made it difficult to maintain pessimistic outlook he had on future prospects. The morning Gibson caught him asleep on the couch with her arms wrapped him, Gabe tried to deny a very real reality unfolding before his eyes. Every day since that morning, it was hard to explain away the jump in his pulse. Jitters, in a profession he was arguably comfortable with by necessity when she visited him or touched him, shouldn't have him tripping over his own feet and making bad jokes. He wasn't a school boy, and while he wasn't incapable of puppy love at his age, this wasn't what he was feeling for Lexine. Leastwise, he hoped not.

"Oh, you lost me at yawning blackness of space. You've got to do a lot better than that to woo a girl."

Rationalizing it as some symptom of survivor's bond misunderstood as romantic affection was an easy mistake they thought. What made them better suited each other that no other potential companion seemed to lack? Was it because of what they experienced? It wasn't as if they needed to speak to anyone else of their past, they had each other for that. Yet, the connection was there, a constant confluence of emotions that slowly started to untangle itself from the fears and anxieties of moving forward in their relationship.

"Alright, what if I told you I could take you to the beach without ever leaving the station, what would you say then?"

Gabe, whether he'd acknowledged it or not, wanted something beyond his duty; he went through the motions of his job, no less dedicated than he was before. Yet, he always found he was always hoping to find something at the end of the metaphorical tunnel he constantly denied himself. His heart was telling him it was Lexine, and he hesitated, whether out of foolish respect to his dead friend or his own fear to commit. Lexine wanted more or less of the same, but her thoughts often lay with the unattainable man of her dreams, the person who'd yet to arrive in her life and served as a template example of who she wanted.

He read once that dreams of sexual nature were the libido's way of giving the subconscious a very clear message: firstly, that it'd been too long since he had sex, and secondly, he wished for physical and emotional love. It scared him the first time, as he never consciously allowed his mind to wander in that direction with Lexine. He couldn't look her in the face the morning after, his mind inadvertently going back to the imaginary night of passion that left him breathless upon waking. But the more frequent they became, the more he started to wonder. Whether or not he could achieve the kind of happiness he often saw others preach about with Lexine was a million to one chance, but he didn't lose anything by trying.

"I'd say you better show me this beach, Mr. Weller; you've certainly got my attention."

Gabe bit the proverbial bullet when he allowed his hand to close around hers and led her out of her office. It was a little secret he discovered not long after his and Nathan's first arrival on the Sprawl, a little spot for the workers from Earth, between the CEC and extraction facilities. It showed the both of them the state of the world before either of them even born, a veritable paradise compared the wasteland it was. Lexine, eyes closed, was led into the relaxation room and positioned in front of the apparent blank wall.

He chose the desired location and casually took his place beside her. The small room was illuminated with light, the interior slowly overtaken by the wide blue sky, the lull of the sea washing against the shores and branches whistling in the lull of the wind. The illusion created by the hologram was enough to fool him that they'd been transported elsewhere, one of the reasons he loved visiting this particular room after so many years. "Alright, you can open your eyes," He told her.

The best thing about sharing it with Lexine was her expression; a reflection of awe that reached her round brown eyes, she must have laughed for a good while as she watched the physics of the hologram react to her movement when she kneeled down to touch the sand that wasn't there. "Gabe, this is amazing," She proclaimed. "I had no idea this was here!"

"Most people don't, but I thought it'd be a nice surprise," He told her. "It was," Lexine beamed at him. "Are there other places like this?"

"I'm not sure, I kinda just stumbled across it a few years back and to be honest, I'm surprised it's still here," He answered. "The tech is old."

"Old is good sometimes," Lexine remarked drawing lines in the sand. "They don't allow you do this kind of thing with the holograms now. I can't imagine why though."

"Efficiency, maybe," Gabe said. "Why animate an entire environment when you can do half the work?"

They spent the better part of the evening fooling around with the simulated environments, Lexine's curiosity dying to know what other places could be projected around them. He never got to woo her with a fancy dinner or a night on the town, but as far as he was concerned, as an unofficial "first date", it was a good start to an otherwise tentative relationship.


	12. Year 2510 V, 10:00AM

**Title:** Year 2510 V

**Prompt:** (10:00/10AM) "Improving personal convictions and resolutions."

* * *

Medically diagnosed dementia was not a curable condition, at least, not according to what he's read. Treatable, yes, but something you'd get rid of? That was a puzzle not even brightest minds had yet to crack. As far as he knew, the "dementia" that he and the others experienced, never quite left him. If this was the coveted nirvana the Unitologists to experience, they could all go die in a hole. When they arrived on the station two years ago, he kept in mind that his proximity to Lexine was what kept his mind quiet and his thoughts distracted.

Her strange influence was one he was tempted to stay close to, but the lack of an added guest room in Gibson's apartment kept him on the couch and Lexine on a mattress. He used to think his nightmares were as bad they could get, however, he learned there was always something worse to prove him wrong.

The rusty red and black atmosphere of his terrors swallowed even the most idyllic environments conjured up in his head. Narrow pathways could replace streets, houses and people within seconds and there would be nothing to do except run. Run from the voices screaming in his head, run from the drooling monsters that moved faster than his able feet could carry him. "Make us whole again," They whispered. Over and over again and try as he might he could never escape them. So, like a fool he would dare ask them that they meant and would scream louder, dissolving to the rhythm of a distorted raid siren that pounded until he thought his head would burst.

What did "whole again" mean? And why the fuck was he asking like it mattered!? By the time he and Lexine got together, the hallucinations weren't so frequent, but good 'ole Eckhardt never quite left him alone. Every now and again, he'd hear the old coot's voice rumbling in the back of his head, determined to get back at the obtuse Sergeant that outsmarted him on the virtue of getting him to monologue he master plan. Reminding himself to never respond the gizzard's taunts was an exercise in resilience. Oh, my God, the old man could talk for hours and no level of music or white noise could block him out.

The day Gibson kicked him out, his control slipped in synchronization with his temper. Eckhardt was being particularly chatty, and half awake, barely in control of his own motor functions, Gabe was only too happy to oblige the old man in a back and forth.

"It's a curious thing, how a man so against our ideals, continues to uphold the one thing needed to shield poor Lexine from," He taunted.

"Shut up, Eckhardt, it's too early for this."

"Nonsense, it's never too early to speak to you! How do you think she feels, sleeping with the man who won't tell her the truth?"

"Eckhardt, I'm warning you, if you don't shut up-"

"You'll what? Lick me to death? You can't do anything to me anymore, Weller. I have ascended, I am one with God-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"-And when the times comes you will be damned to hell and so shall Lexine."

It'd been a long time since he lost his temper quite as badly as he did when he set the stove flame high enough to scare off the apparition. That explosion of anger not only frightened him, but it rattled Gibson enough that he was no longer comfortable with the idea of his living in the apartment. And anything that scared Gibson was sure sign of a problem. "Whatever you got in your head, you need to sort it out, friend," He told him. "I don't wanna see you end up like the rest of them."

The 'rest of them', of course, being the squad that didn't quite escape the war unscathed; Gibson didn't ask for the cause for the snap, he assumed he knew and assumed Gabe never wanted to talk about it. Why did he? He gathered what little he had to call his own and like dog rejected by its master, apologized and sulked out of apartment toward the path of salvation.

Lexine lived on the sixth floor the apartment complex, a long walk if there were stairs, but being trapped inside an elevator with a man who refused to shut up, next to several strangers, didn't make it any less difficult. He practically ran down the hall when the lift reached the sixth floor. Eckhardt's whispers followed him all the way to Lexine's door. When he knocked, he tried his best to regain his composure. It was all he could do not throw his arms around her when she opened the door. Instead he cracked a smile, kissed her and walked through the door.

Almost immediately, the roar in his head stopped, the air seemed to open up around him and every muscle in his body relaxed, leaving him lightheaded and tempted to fall to his knees. Instead he kept up his façade, promised his fiancée that he would find another apartment and fell onto the couch, shaken.

Nightmares came and went, but Lexine was a constant light, one he wasn't ashamed to admit protected him in more ways than a weapon ever could. If she was ever unfortunate to witness the throes of his nightmares, she would come and pull him out of the darkness and he would readily return the favor if he could.

The very last terror he dreamt of were halls mounted with the smelted bodies of men writing in pain as they tried disembowel him with their living intestines. Her voice seemed to drift from somewhere ahead of him and despite the lack of visibility he charged blindly ahead. The screaming biomass on the walls eventually gave way to the pearly blue waters of an ocean engulfed in sunlight. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the warm and heavy feeling of another body next to him.

The place he slept was not his couch, but Lexine's bed. Their arms and legs were tangled together like the final piece of a puzzle reunited with its other half. It was ten in the morning and he was late for work, but he didn't care. "Are you alright?" Lexine's voice was drowsy, but he could've cried he was so happy to hear it. "Fine," He answered, knowing she felt the shaky exhale of breath against her chest. "It was just another nightmare." The answer spurred Lexine to press herself closer to his body, her toes dragged down the side of his leg as she stretched and pressed a kiss to his shoulder blade. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," Slurred by sleep, Gabe couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious. Either way, the sentiment was welcome and helped ease the erratic beat of his heart.


	13. Year 2510 II, 08:00AM

**Title:** Year 2510 II

**Prompt:** (08:00/8AM) "Personal change aimed toward the conscious mind."

* * *

In the wake of daylight savings time, the evening seemed to approach the Sprawl quicker than usual. Be it for personal reasons or in light of the upcoming holiday, Hans Tiedemann announced all personnel who's jobs weren't crucial to the function of the station were given a short workday. Lexine, stuck at her desk for the majority of her day, was glad for it, eager to stretch her legs and explore the station a little more. She contacted Gabe just a little before she reached the tram station.

She knew he would among the poor unfortunate souls without the privilege of a short shift, but she thought to check in and let him know she'd be off and roaming about. Unfortunately, Lexine had caught him at a bad time, in the middle of losing a poker game to Mikel Vlastnik of Alpha Team. "The bastard's cheating, I fucking know it," He complained, ignoring the obnoxious laughter of his teammates in the background.

"You're just a sore loser, Gabe."

"When are you getting off?" She asked.

"Same time as usual. Why?" Gabe answered, ignoring the poker chip tossed at his head.

"Because, I've got a surprise for you," Was her teasing answer. Behind him were a chorus of "ooohs" and gagging sounds.

"Is it the kind of surprise that involves lingerie?" He wagged eyebrows. "I love those."

"TMI, Sarge, TIMI!"

"Well, stop listening then."

Lexine laughed. "I can't tell you, it is a surprise after all. Have fun," Lexine left him to his devices with a quick "I love you" and headed for the Concourse. The atmosphere of Sprawl was unusually excited, buzzing with a positivism she hadn't felt since landing her first job. The increased presence of children running about the Concourse was a welcome site, lulling her into a state of ease as she observed their antics from the second level just a few feet away from the mattress store.

Barely a week had passed since Gabe moved into her apartment; details, as usual, were tight, but from what she could gather from Gibson, "it would be the last fucking time he tried to burn his house down with his own stove". The irony of the statement was Lexine had seen Gabe cook and cook successfully, so there had to be more to it than a simple stove accident. Maybe Gibson simply grew tired of sharing his space?

Either way, she was more than surprised to find her fiancé standing at her doorstep, duffle bag in hand, lacking any kind of apologetic expression on his face as he stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry about the wakeup call, sweetheart, got kicked out of Gibson's," Lexine hemmed and hawed all the way back into her apartment, watching him survey the area like a prospective buyer. "Gabe, it's too early for jokes, what do you mean Gibson kicked you out?"

"I was evicted from the premises, barred from entry," His clarification heavy with sarcasm. At her dubious expression, he said. "Look, I wouldn't come here if I had someplace else to go. Just give me a few weeks and I'll be out of your hair."

To his credit, he just asked to sleep on the couch, never once asking to use the second bedroom or thinking he was entitled to it. Lexine allowed him that much, unsure if she wanted to share an apartment with her boyfriend of a year half just yet. Things between them were as serious as could be, what with Gabe still pretending the little black box he bought didn't contain what she thought it did.

For some, moving in was just another way of avoiding the chore or responsibility of committing fully through marriage. Lexine never saw either choice as a compromise, let alone one you had to choose over the other. She and Sam lived together for six months Aegis VII before everything fell apart and not much changed between them. But, like she said, things were serious between her and Gabe and having him just a few feet closer - literally within her living space - wouldn't hurt in the least. Still, despite the pitter-patter of her heart, her mind wanted a mental discourse over the situation.

Unofficially, Gabe was still looking for another apartment to call his own. Maybe it was time to change his status from "temporary" to "permanent resident".

She returned to the apartment around six in the evening, ready to surprise him. Throwing herself headlong into the shower, she scrubbed every inch of her body until she confident she would shine in the overhead light of the bathroom. She waltzed around the house in the nude, enjoying the liberation of peering eyes and ears, practicing her cartwheels before she bumped into the walls one too many times to enjoy herself any longer.

A trip to the closet made her pause once or twice on her surprise strategy; between cooking and simply lounging on the bed in her underwear, twirling her pixie hair around a single finger would far more stimulating for the both of them, depending on his mood. For the better part of the evening Lexine laid on the bed, watching the clock and chewing on chocolate balls. Six o'clock came and went, and sure enough, so did seven o'clock. When Lexine came to, her rig was blinking from where she left it on the vanity across from her bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she stumbled across the room and answered the call. "Lex, its Gabe," No visuals, just an audio message, "Look, I know I said I'd be home at the usual hour, but something's come up in the Sector 48-"

"No, can't they get someone else?" Lexine whined her question in vain.

"-They can't get anyone else. Another guy snapped or something, domestic dispute. But, I'll try to be back as soon as I can, but don't wait up," He finished. "I love you, sweet dreams." Disappointed, Lexine climbed into her pajamas, frustrated by the turn of events. She woke again hours later, the overhead announcer of the apartment complex announcing the morning had come to visit the station again. Lexine regarded her clock with half open eyes; from the blur alone it looked to be eight in the morning. Lexine stepped out of her room with a hand on her stomach. As luck would have it Gabe was just returning to the apartment. He flopped down onto the couch, already positioning his body to fall sideways. "Gabe, you're home," The relief in her voice was hard to miss. "Apparently, so," He said. Gabe sat back up and fell back against the couch with a yawn. She sat beside him, hand ghosting across the stubble on his face. "Are you alright? What happened in Sector 48?"

"I'm fine, and there was nutcase up on the observatory deck threatening to blow the compression glass if his girlfriend broke up with him."

"Oh, my God, was anyone hurt?"

"Just the guy's hand. I kind had to separate it from him," Gabe scoffed with little humor. "Bartlett thought it was the only way to subdue the target without killing him."

"That seems a bit harsh," Lexine pulled her feet up so that they were propped on the edge of the couch. Gabe shrugged, silently agreeing with his girlfriend's assessment. "I thought so too, but the man already fractured the glass with a stray shot trying to hit one of us, so he meant what he said; he was going to kill everyone in that room because his lover spurned him."

"Is the girl alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. A little shaken and no doubt a little weary of dating I bet, but fine," Gabe assured her with a pat on the knee. "Glass will have to be fixed though. Now-" He draped his arm over her shoulder, flashing the best grin he could under half his operating power. "-what was this surprise you had for me?" It took a moment for Lexine to remember what he was talking about; the cogs in her head turned slowly, sorting through the half remembered fragments of the previous day, only a couple hours old, before coming across the answer.

Smiling coyly, Lexine crawled out of the comfort of the couch and made herself comfortable on his lap, knees pressing into against the cushions, close to his thighs. Holding her steady, he watched as she pulled the zipper of her hoddie down and revealed her lace bra. "It was a sexy surprise," She pouted, a little embarrassed.

Gabe let out a bark of laughter. "I knew it, the lingerie surprise!"

Resisting the urge to react as she normally did (push him, either in playful jest or genuine frustration), Lexine let her thigh muscles relax as she lowered her rear on his legs. "Like you would've complained," She stated rather than asked.

"No, but it's not anywhere near my birthday, so your surprises could only come down to either food or sexy lingerie," Gabe confirmed. "You only save the frills for the birthdays." He had a point, one she conceded with a nod of her head. "Still, lovely as the gesture is, I'm tired."

"Seriously?" She leaned back a little, an incredulous look on her face. "Even too tired to have fun?"

"Especially too tired have fun. I've got another shift coming up in four hours and I need all the sleep I can get."

She groaned, throwing her head back in frustration. "Can't you ask for a day off, just once?" She huffed. "I've Friday, Saturday and Sunday off," Gabe reminded her. "Then there are holidays as well." There was a part of her that wanted to refuse, bug him a little, if only because she had to go work soon and she wouldn't see him again until the evening or the very next morning. "I know, I know. But this workload of yours is bothersome. How many calls have you gotten about people trying to jump out of windows?"

"Just one, actually; this is the third guy who's tried to blow out a window, though," Gabe explained. "It's the weekend, lot of guys do crazy things on the weekend."

"Maybe," It was all she cared to say. To say anything more would lead to uncomfortable places. Bending down, she kissed him square on the lips. The safe and unremarkable smell of hotel-brand soap filled her senses. He returned the show of affection with just as much enthusiasm despite his weariness. Even as he pulled away, Lexine's arms moved by virtue of second nature alone, her hands eventually finding their way up his shirt in accordance to the sensation his fingers running through short hair. "I'm really tired," He said unconvincingly against her lips. "And you're fingers are cold."

"They'll warm up. Just five- ten minutes, promise," Lexine breathed, trying to maintain her self-control. "Alright, fine, ten minutes, starting now," Gabe relented. Sitting forward he grabbed the end of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Lexine shimmied out of her hoodie and tossed it aside, all smiles. He barely managed to get another word out when she kissed him again. He moved so that he was lying on his back and Lexine was on top of him. She was still kissing him when he said, "Eight minutes."

"Stop counting, you're ruining the mood."


	14. Year 2510 III, 09:00AM

**Title:** Year 2510 III

**Prompt:** (09:00/9AM) "Assistance for others, focusing on concrete matters."

* * *

**1. October 2480**

"How's it going?"

"Terribly, next silly question."

Space Cherry, that's what they called individuals who've never had the luxury of being accustomed to the environment of space. Particularly, zero gravity atmosphere. Gabe had no real control over his body the first time he entered a zero gravity area on the USG _Lilandra_. Sure, his feet were on the ground, but the almost no-strings-attached sensation he experienced whenever he lifted his foot was nauseating. There were four corners of a room surrounding him, yet he was scared of floating off and never coming back down. An experimental push sent him 'flying' through the air until he collided with the poor engineer minding his business, he wasn't very happy with the flying squirrel that called itself a soldier trespassing on his personal space.

"C'mon, Gabe, it's not that bad."

"Speak for yourself, boy wonder. I haven't gotten my stomach to quit talking since this damn ship left the planet."

"Weller, it's been six weeks, you can't still be suffering from Space Sickness."

"Not according to the doc."

On the ship itself, the idea of nothing but the hull between hisself and a vacuum combined with the unexpected shudder of the ship at the oddest time, never kept him far from the bathrooms. One look at the vastness of space, the morality of his place in the world, the massive size of a planet as it fell farther and farther away from view, until the final safety net that would allow him to depart from the ship with little pride intact, snapped. Gabe was either "flying" for the bathroom or sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, trying to get a hold of his internal systems. "Space Sickness" was apparently a real thing according to the Senior Medical Officer. Closely related to motion sickness, Gabe was advised to either ride it out or use the medication provided. Gabe chose the meds.

"Maybe you should just ask for a sabbatical; we're still pretty far from Scorpio and I'm sure command will understand."

"McNeill, you know I can't do that, I've still duties to attend to."

"What about the meds? Have they worked?"

"Somewhat, but they make me drowsy."

"Then just go to sleep, I'll cover you."

No amount of training on Earth could prepare him to getting used to his new environment. No, that would take time, time he didn't think he wanted to spend adjusting to. Scorpio 6 better be worth all this misery.

* * *

**2. October 2510**

Space Walks were her absolute least favorite thing about her job. For whatever reason, Miranda thought it would be a lovely final initiation into her promotion to third level surveyor on the station and at nine in the morning of all hours!

The shard, the last remnant of Titan was typically off limits to anyone who didn't work in the Government Sector or operated with an experienced Engineers license. Miranda, however, knew her way around the "red tape" of the highly monitored sector "like the back of her hand". Lexine thought to question what she meant by that, her mind moving the first gutter-related thought that sprung to mind. Instead, Miranda's trusty pair of scissors was a security officer who kept quiet and looped footage prior to her arrival, allowing her a clean entrance and exit without incident.

"Are you sure this alright, Miranda?" Lexine inquired.

"Positive, Frankie knows how to keep a good watch, we'll have plenty of time before anyone suspects anything," Miranda assured her assistant.

Twenty minutes seemed plenty of time to get caught, Lexine thought so anyway. Still, as she slipped into her spacesuit she couldn't help but allow her anticipation to cloud her caution. How times was it that she was given the opportunity to observe the outside of the space station atop of a broken moon shard? Never, that's how many times. The elevator ascended up into the tube, Lexine's suit locked tight as they emerged from the darkness of the cylinder shaft, greeted by the clarity of the compression tube that allowed them observe the Saturn and her ring. When the lift stopped, they made a final double check on their suits and opened the door. "Entering vacuum," Relayed the computerized voice.

"Alright, follow me, Lexie and be amazed," Miranda marched out of the lift with the vigor of the experienced walker, her gravity boots keeping her firmly on the ground. Lexine did as she told, her head spinning about in an attempt to take in the open environment surrounding her.

Lexine hurried forward as fast as she could, her feet still not accustomed to the weight that combated the constant pull that wanted to pull her into open space. It was enough to make her wish she had a tether to use, but the environment was gorgeous. The dilute sepia tones of their environment did little to diminish the cold splendor the planet and the light reflected upon the station. The exterior of the Sprawl, however sharp in its sterile appearance, was something to behold beyond. "Lexie, isn't it amazing?!" Miranda called over her shoulder.

"It's beautiful," Lexine replied, not really answering Miranda.


	15. Year 2510 IV, 07:00AM

**Title:** Year 2510 IV

**Prompt:** (07:00/7AM) "Hope, improved insight and perspective."

* * *

"You know what I miss about living on a planet?"

"No, but I assume you'll tell me anyway. You've got that look in your eyes."

"It's the weather; I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss changing my clothes whenever the weather changed. I miss wearing sweaters or velvet dresses on the holidays. I miss slipping into flannel pajamas and fuzzy slippers."

"I can't fathom how you can miss being cold. It my least favorite thing in the 'traverse-"

"Considering where you were born, I'm not surprised. You're a walking toaster."

"I never told you where I was born."

"You didn't, but Gibson did."

"That bastard."

"There isn't anything you miss about living on a planet?"

"Fresh air, actually. Processed air, the more I breathe of it, the less room I feel my lungs have."

"Less room?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but that I feel like sometimes the air doesn't move at all unless I'm directly under a vent. I know it's just a figment of the mind, I just stop remind myself."

"We can always take that trip to Gliese I've been asking about. A lovely jaunt to the beach might do us both some good."

"That would be nice actually. Nice warm beach, cool drinks and enough sand to burry heads in."

"I'd rather keep my head above ground, burying it might get in the way of the breathing thing."

"You got a point about that."

"What time is it?"

"Seven in the am. You've got work in four hours; I've got work at nine."

"Plenty of time to sleep in."


	16. Year 2510 I, 6:00AM 5

**Title:** Year 2510 I

**Prompt:** (06:00/6AM) "Tenacity and perseverance, especially with something you have been putting off."

* * *

**(May 1****st****, 2510)**

Lexine looked herself over once or twice in the full length mirror. The trumpet style dress was strapless, white and form fitting. The collar of the removable mesh bolero jacket that curved around the space just above her breasts, met on both sides of her neck; its seams moved down and met at the back of the dress, creating a shape in accordance to the sweetheart bust. The mesh sleeves, in accordance to the entire dress, were embroidered with flower designs.

As a little girl she imagined her wedding dress would be as big and puffy as the ones her dolls used to wear, but she was more than content with the dress she chose. This was going to be a simple ceremony, low on the frills and extravagance. Initially Gabe suggested going someplace planetside for the wedding, thinking the complications would be fewer what the presence of a "City Hall" to use.

Titan Station's Upright City - the Public Sector - catered largely to Unitologist religion despite the Government presence that buttoned them down. Finding a church that didn't was hard, but Lexine noted that Gabe wasn't terribly keen on setting foot inside one, a task she had little problem with. Whatever his reasons, he wasn't quite ready to share them and she could respect that, frustrating as it was. Finally she suggested on getting married in Sector 22's hotel, the _Lagrangian point_, a choice he conceded with. What little audience they had to invite would be a majority of Lexine's friends; Gabe's friends extended only to Gibson and Bartlett, the latter in turn invited their security teams.

Standing the brightly lit waiting room, Lexine practiced the variety of poker faces she could use on her way down the aisle to husband to be, her expression cracking into a smile every time. Things had become incredibly intense between the two since they began dating. Gabe seemed to have dropped all pretense of guarding his every thought or move, Lexine felt less hesitant to tease him about rhetoric. The hard, militant edge to his voice seemed to all but gone, replaced by a gentler tone though he lost none of his baritone.

The transition to fledging refugees to permanent residents was complete with Gabe's exile from Gibson's apartment to hers and the day she caught him scrutinizing the engagement ring she obviously wasn't supposed to see some odd months into the new year of 2510. Even with the unpleasant reminders of what brought to the station continued to lurk in the darkness of the station's cargo hold, she couldn't help but think this was the final confluence. They were finally building another life for themselves, together.

The door opened, Gabe slipped and inside and leaned against it as he twisted with the lock. He looked rather relieved to be inside, but didn't appear to notice her. Lexine placed a hand on her chest, startled by his sudden appearance. Picking up her dress she marched across the short distance of the room. "Gabe, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony," She proclaimed. "It's bad luck."

Gabe pushed away from the door, the baffled. "I didn't know you were in here. Besides, you can't actually believe in that superstition, can you?" Gabe inquired dryly, giving her a once over. "You're looking lovely." Lexine ducked her head slightly when he caressed her right arm. "It's tradition," She argued.

"Yeah, well, I've never been one for tradition," Gabe replied, draping his arms over her shoulders while she wrapped hers around his waist. "In fact, I'm on the run from my colonel. He appears to have taken an interest in what our bedtime activities will be. He tried to give me a cigar, advice and everything." He shuddered. "It was creepy."

"Aw, he's happy for his subordinate," Lexine laughed.

"Too happy, if you ask me," Gabe huffed, glancing toward the door. He lost Bartlett somewhere around the corner of the hotel on the way to Lexine's room. He only hoped that he ducked inside in time before the colonel saw him. Still, his nuisance inadvertently brought him to Lexine; sniff as he might towards a tradition as silly as not seeing the bride before the actual wedding, he wasn't remiss to spend a little more time with her before tying the knot. "Well, in a few hours he'll be officially out of our hair," She assured him. "Where do you wanna go after this?"

"Home probably," Gabe answered. "Lock the door and not come out for a few days."

"If only. We've got work tomorrow."

"Don't remind me." Gabe could only imagine how many questions he was going to get from Bravo team about their "special night" (assuming they did anything except sleep). They lapsed into silence once more, their excitement on the tip on their tongues. 'A few more hours', a term they repeated to each other in every other conversation they've had since last night.

More than a little giddy and nervous, Lexine wasn't hesitant to bounce around the room and leap on the mattress before lying down. Gabe was content to play the straight man to her Bubbles, trying in vain to read a book while she disrupted the balance of the mattress. Well, at least until he had a few drinks him to loosen up.

"Lexie," Miranda's voice came from the other side of the door. "Are you almost ready? The priest has arrived."

"Uh, yeah, just give me a few minutes, Miranda," Lexine replied quickly. There was no response from Miranda; she could only assume the woman walked off without giving her one. Already she could feel her skin prickle with goose bumps. Reaching up, she intertwined her hands with his, the bare appearance of their ring fingers leveling her excitement with her racing imagination. "Well," Gabe flashed one last smile at her and asked, "You ready for this?"

Lexine nodded. "Yes."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This should officially be the last "6:00AM" prompt I've written. At least, I hope so.


	17. Year 2510 VI, 14:00PM

**Title:** Year 2510 VI

**Prompt:** (14:00/2PM) "Building relationships, encouraging understanding and love between people, sexual symmetry."

* * *

**1. Priority Targets**

Lexine remembered there was a time she could turn her nose up at the very idea of using a gun. The strongest weapon she used to have at her disposal was a can of mace, but even that hardly was used during her time on Aegis VII.

Still precautions needed to be taken now and as she got better at learning to defend herself with the mere uses of her body, Gabe figured she would be even safer if she knew how to use a gun. "We'll start small, get you used to a Divet, then maybe we'll work our way up to something bigger," He patted his pulse rifle with affection. Lexine made a face, remembering the ghoulish weight of the pulse rifle when she tried to pick it up. For a man with modest arms, there was a surprising amount of muscle behind them if he could handle the weapon with one hand.

"But I know to use a Divet," Lexine argued, aiming the pistol down the shooting range.

"You know how to use it, but not very well," Gabe remarked. "You hit more walls than you did hostiles."

"If that were true, I doubt we'd be standing here," She fired back, hand on her hip. Gabe moved her pistol away from his chest and had her aim it downrange, which was all it took for him to fall back into "Sergeant Weller" mode. Nathan taught her a lot of the preliminary they reviewed, how to hold a pistol, how not to hold the pistol (single handed, sideways). The shooting part, of course, was left up to chance and she was lucky she managed to hit as a many of the creatures that hounded them on the way out of the flight deck back to the tram.

She steadily re-relearned how to aim the more they visited the shooting range: don't lock your arms, bend your knees slightly and always use the sight. Hitting the center of the target was easier said than done, most of her shots hit the outer rim and edge of the sheets provided. The recoil knocked her back or down more than once, but Gabe was always quick to get back on her feet. "I've always wondered why people say "pull" the trigger. You press it, you don't pull it," She mused as her fingers readjusted around her dominant hand.

"Spoken dissonance, I figure," Gabe answered. "Pull sounds nicer to say than press or squeeze." Lexine couldn't disagree with that, odd as she still found it. Their visitation to the gun range lasted until the start of the November, she could handle the Divet far better than she did in the beginning of February, but she assumed she had a ways to go before she was an expert with it.

It was silly to ask whether or not she really needed to the lessons; by his very nature Gabe was a "better safe than sorry" person and he freely admitted he wasn't always going to be there for her all the time if she ever ran into trouble. "I'd feel that much more comfortable knowing you at least know how to a cap someone in the knee, even if it's accidental," He told her with a grin.

"I find your lack of faith in my shooting skills disturbing, Gabe," Lexine rejoined. "I can already hit center of the target more times than I did when we started."

"And that's a good thing, but like I said about the punching thing, don't get cocky. You've a ways yet, but your progress has been great so far." And that was all the praise he was willing to give her, if only to prevent a swollen head about the situation. Fair enough, Lexine thought, she would just have to remember to be a little more reserved with her own glowing praise. "Alright, you've got the static targets down. Now let's try some moving targets,"

Lexine balked. "Moving targets, already?"

Gabe grinned. "Ten months, aiming with static targets, now you've got ten months with moving targets at different speeds."

"You never mentioned anything like this."

"I like to keep my rookies on their feet, gets them to think twice as fast. Now, get ready."

Lexine fumbled for the next magazine as the countdown began at five.

* * *

**2. Beach Sandcastle**

Taking full advantage of his sabbatical, Gabe finally decided it was time to pay Gliese a visit. Spiriting Lexine away from her work with the blessing of her boss, Miranda, they boarded their shuttle, the _Kawamoto_ and embarked on the journey to the resort planet. Located in the 581 system, surrounded in a blue gas, the environment of Gliese was not dissimilar to that of Earth. Gliese was not exclusively a holiday resort for Sprawl residents; people lived there, of course, but their lifestyle was decided less technology dependent than other colonies. "This place is one of the oldest settlements in our system's history, it's not surprising they would want to maintain some old ways of life," Lexine exposited, impressing her husband.

The beaches were a literal utopia come to life; sand so pure it look as though diamonds were hidden within every grain scooped into your hand. Water so clear it reflected the sunlight like a prism, creating interesting colors caught by the naked eye or other reflective surfaces. The only thing it was missing now was seagulls. For the first time in months, Gabe felt there was nothing to worry about and he could lose himself in absolutely mundane activities without keeping one eye on his and Lexine's back.

So he did. The day after their arrival, they hopped into their bathing suits and headed for the beach, but only Lexine was content to run around like a child given the biggest room in the universe. Gabe sat on the sidelines; book in hand, completely immersed in the universe on the printed page. On occasion a beach ball would go flying past his head or someone's child would race past his chair, kicking sand into his lap, but he was otherwise too preoccupied to wave his metaphorical cane at them.

"We come all this way to the greatest resort planet in the system and all you want to do is read?" The book was pulled out of his grasp before he could retaliate, Lexine was kind enough to user her finger as a bookmark so as to keep his last place. "_The Wounded Eagle_, Jesper Kyd," She mumbled the title with a look of general disinterest. He made a grab for the book; Lexine dodged his arm with smooth lean to the right, tucking her arm behind her. "Lex, give it back, it was getting good," He protested.

"What could be so interesting about a bird with a broken wing?" She laughed, dodging his lunge. His nose bumped her navel. She jumped up and away from him and he landed in the sand. "It's a metaphor," Gabe clarified, climbing off the ground. Lexine appraised the title of the book once again, flipping through one page. The most she could glean from a single paragraph is that main character was having problems with someone in his life. "Give it back, Lex," He demanded.

"No."

"_Lexine_."

"That tone won't work with me, _Gabriel_," Lexine removed her finger from the book and closed it, her fingers tapped the hardcover mischievously. "If you want it back, you're going have to catch me."

Challenging him, was she? Folding his arms he said, "You'll lose, you've never been able to outrun me." Lexine gave her shoulders a shake and took off, book in hand. He was so taking the bait, he knew it, but he didn't care. He obliged her indirect request. He went after her, legs pumping, feet tearing at the ground and propelling himself closer and closer to his target.

Lexine kept her lead on the security officer for as long as she could, zigzagging through crowds in an attempt to wear down his stamina. Gabe had other plans though; he broke away from the crowd after diving over an unsuspecting sand castle, all but vanishing from her sight when he ducked into the foliage separating the beach from the hotel up on the hill.

She stopped, turning on her feet as her momentum slowed. One scan of the spacious beach revealed no sign of him, yet she knew he was somewhere near. The moment she heard the rapid rustle of the foliage across from her, however, she knew she had no time. Gabe jumped out from the bushes like a panther, his face a picture of a victorious man.

"Ah!" Lexine jumped out of the way, allowing him to land in a crouch where she once stood. Her momentum faltered, she was unable to escape when he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted off the ground. "You cheat!" Her cry somewhere between laughter and genuine outrage of being beaten, "I had you beat!"

"Nonsense, I simply took an alternate route," He sat on her ground, confident of his victory. "Now, you've had your fun, may I have my book?"

Lexine shrugged, she hid the book behind her back. "I'm not sure," She told him. "What if I want your attention and your too busy reading this book?"

"I can put the book down, Lexine," Gabe reminded her. "Weren't you having fun with your new friends?"

"Yes, but I came to Gliese to have fun with _you_, Gabe. Reading a book while I'm running around with other people is hardly the definition of participation."

She had a point; it wasn't his intention, but the chance to finish the book before the return date was the one optional activity he wanted to get out of the way before he committed himself fully to their vacation. Still, he could always buy the book if he wanted to finish or re-read it that badly. Conceding to her point, he apologized, he promising to take the book back to their hotel room and focus on beach time.

Lexine was all too glad to relinquish her possession of the book; she headed back to their spot on the beach to wait for him. Gabe returned from the hotel as the two o'clock pm hour struck, his attention momentarily drawn to the afternoon sun. "Gabe!" Shielding his face from the saw he stared down at the beach below.

Lexine was still waiting for him, waving him down to join her. "Hi, Lexine," He mouthed, waving back in kind. Jogging down the hill, he made short work of the distance between them, breaking into a sprint. Lexine, realizing what he intended to do, let out a squeak and made for the water.

Even in waters as calm as the one surrounding the shores of the beach, moving against it was a chore, Lexine was practically hopping towards the edge of the shallow water to escape Gabe who'd made impressive time crossing the beach to get to her. "Stupid soldier's stamina," She huffed to herself as Gabe entered the water with a resounding splash. Instead of chasing her further into the water, he came up from behind at a casual pace. Lexine stopped at the edge of the shelf and turned. "Why'd you stop?" She inquired, disappointed.

"I got tired," He answered.

"Tired?! We're just getting started," She wiped the water. He jumped back with his hands up to shield his face. There was nothing he loathed more than getting splashed in the face and Lexine knew it. "C'mon, Sergeant Weller, you gonna take that from an insurgent?" She splashed him again as he made an incredulous expression and it seemed all the motivation he needed. Gabe chased her off the shelf and perused her through the deeper waters. Lexine tried her best to keep her attention focused on Gabe, but her eyes wandered down to admire the colorful coral and marine life forms resting below her.

According to Miranda, most of the marine life forms on the planet were imported from Earth or other colonies. A sort of attempt to recreate what was destroyed on Earth in the name of the progress of man. "They've adapted surprisingly well in spite of the planet's vastly different environment conditions," Miranda mused. "This may speak more to their inherent survival skills than our very own." It was an opinion that both fascinated and worried Lexine; especially given the nihilistic mindset that mankind was wiping itself out with planet cracking.

She twisted around to check on Gabe as he came up beside her. Just for fun, he stole a kiss from her. She smiled, a few air bubbles escaping her lips in the process. Tapping her wrist she pointed upward to the surface. Gabe moved ahead of her, giving her enough berth to preposition herself for breaking the surface. Kicking upward, Lexine was the first to reach the top, Gabe following just moments after. She tried in vain to wipe her eyes clean of the salty waters running down from her hair. Her chest heaved as she tried to laugh through her short breath.

"Well, not exactly my idea of suppressing fire, but it worked," Gabe breathed. "Hostile neutralized."

"You're so corny," She coughed. "Is that what you called that kiss?" Gabe shrugged his shoulders, not at all ashamed by apparent cheesiness. He leaned in close enough so his lips brushed her ear. "You liked it well enough," He teased. "C'mon, I'm in the mood for a pick-me-up if you catch my drift."

"There are children present, Gabe," She chided him.

"What? I used code," He argued in his defense when she ducked down a little in the water and he swam past her.

Lexine watched him head for the shore, cheeks burning red from excitement. Ignoring the disapproving looks she was undoubtedly receiving from the mothers who overheard them, she followed after him, making sure her swimsuit's straps were secure on her shoulders and nothing like seaweed had latched onto her body.


	18. Year 2510 VII, 19:00PM

**Title:** Year 2510 VII

**Prompt:** (19:00/7PM) "Diversity, blending or healing differences, gentle care toward others."

**Warning:** Miscarriage.

* * *

He seemed to come out of nowhere, a book in one hand and a smile on his face, blocking his view of the Lightspeed Boy in the center of the floor. "Would you be willing to accept Michael Altman into your life as your lord and savior-?"

Like most things that made Gabe angry, it was the reaction and not the thinking that came first. It was a simple glare really, but one potent enough that the man backtracked and wavered. "Wait a minute, that came out wrong!"

"Does it look like I care?" Gabe slapped the book the man's hand, never bothering to hide the irate expression on his face. "Get out of here before I report you to security, or worse take you in myself."

"You're Sprawl security?" The solicitor stammered out. Gabe didn't waste another word on him, he just pointed to the embroidered shield on his jacket sleeve. The man didn't have to be told twice. He was gone, tripping on his feet on the way down to the other end of the shopping center, book against his chest. The looks Gabe received from the Cassini residents were unpleasant, scathing at worst. He didn't care.

Anyone who invaded his personal space peddling Unitology unsolicited wasn't going to get a pleasant response. "Gabe," Lexine's voice drifted out from the Cotton Babies store. Turning his back on the offended group, he strolled back into the store and was assaulted by the confectionary sugar colors. Pink, blue, purple, green and yellow - smiley faces and professional photographs of families plastered on the walls around him. Cotton Babies couldn't get any more family friendly if they tried. He spotted Lexine at the end of the carpeted path. She waved him over again, sorting through hangar for the unisex isle. Shoving his hands into his pockets he joined her in the middle of isle, feeling out of sorts. "Isn't a bit early to be shopping for clothes? You're only nine weeks," He said.

"I'm just window shopping," Lexine intoned.

"We should be outside then," Gabe suggested, stepping away from her. Lexine slipped an arm around his and drew him back. "It's not gonna kill you to humor me. Besides, wouldn't this look cute on them?" She raised a one-piece pair of yellow pajamas up for his scrutiny. It was cute, he couldn't deny her that. He could just as easily imagine a girl or a boy wearing it, drooling happily in a seat while they fed them. Still… "We'll know when they get here, won't we?" Gabe was equally harmonious when he answered her.

When she shot him a dirty look, he said, "I'm just saying, let's not count the eggs before they've hatched."

Lexine frowned, frustrated with his pessimism. The trip to the retail sector in Cassini was primarily just to make her feel better. Lying around the apartment did little to take her mind off the constant flux of her hormones, her temper or her morning sickness. Lexine wanted to walk around the station, get some semblance of fresh processed air instead of inhaling the particular brand in their home. Gabe obliged, using his Saturday to cater completely to her (as he usually did if he wasn't sleeping or out with Price and Gibson).

The mid afternoon was spent browsing the museum in the Transport Hub; there was still a great deal about Titan Station Lexine was curious about, the museum answered the more pressing questions while offering more miscellaneous info on its earlier beginnings. They spent better half of the early evening indulging in the fantasy of getting a bigger bed for a single room, a saleswoman searching for malleable consumers took a particular interest in the way Lexine rubbed her lower back from the hours she sat in the office chair and showed her the best mattresses the store had to offer. By 7PM Gabe's legs were ready to give out on him. He was just waiting for Lexine's to do the same. "If you didn't want to come, why didn't you say so?" She snapped, shoving his arm away. Oh, God. Resisting the urge to rube his temples he said, "It's not that I didn't want to come with you Lex, I just don't see the point in browsing for clothes and that- the baby is hardly the size of a football."

"I already told you why I was browsing," Lexine reminded him with a grimace. "Now you made my stomach upset."

"That wasn't my doing, it's probably just gas. You've been gassy for weeks," Gabe remarked. "Look, we've been on our feet since afternoon. You need your rest and I don't want to be here anymore, so can we just go home?"

"Fine, yes, we can leave," Lexine huffed, rubbing the small bulge in her stomach. The trek back to the tram station as a quiet one, neither party choosing to admit foul play on their behavior. When they got home Lexine locked herself in her room and Gabe fell asleep on the couch watching television. It would be easy to just blame the last handful of disputes solely on Lexine's hormones, but the truth was he was probably being more uncooperative than necessary.

The initial announcement of her pregnancy caught him off guard. They weren't trying for a kid, yet he couldn't help the flutter of excitement that swelled in his chest once she adjusted to the idea of becoming a mother. One they accepted the idea of a baby living with them, the space they called home took on a new meaning.

How and what they would change to compensate for the baby was possibly too early to think about at the stage she was in, but it was exciting nonetheless. As the weeks rolled on, Lexine would examine her flat stomach in the mirror and wonder who the baby would take after, what they would look like. Gabe enjoyed the perpetual "glow" of his wife; her giddiness infected him so that he rarely found the energy to be completely upset about work unless it was simply one of those miserable workdays. The elation kept him on cloud nine for the better part of her early trimester. The pragmatist, however, was soon to rear its head and the reality of their situation settled in like pins and needles creeping up his pine.

How much was it going to cost to support a child; how much would the trips to the hospital amount to; would Lexine carry the child to full term and was it even healthy to assume she would when the worst could happen? Unconsciously, whether he intended to or not, he started to hamper his excitement. The numbers game was playing tricks with his emotions. Lexine wasn't oblivious to the shift in his attitude. She stayed relatively upbeat despite his reluctance to share what was on his mind. And as she entered her sixth week, her own mood took a turn downward with the expected discomforts.

Prepping for their unborn child was suddenly a weary experience, Lexine's sleepless nights making her snappier than usual, Gabe's internalized concerns making him more sensitive (or insensitive) than he should've been considering he wasn't carrying the baby. He hoped the walk around the retail sector would calm her down a bit, shake the cabin fever from her. Instead he sabotaged his own plans with worries he'd yet to discuss with her outside the doctor's appointment and made her upset.

He was his own worst enemy.

* * *

Gabe had no idea how long he'd been sleep before Lexine felt it was urgent enough to rattle him from his sleep with a cry. "Gabe!" The tone of her voice was tense and high. Instinctively, he sat up straighter. Through the drowsiness of his sleep he assumed she was unhappy with the volume on the television, though he barely could hear it himself.

"Gabe!"

Limbs heavy and back aching from sleeping upright, it took a moment to pull hisself off the couch. He stumbled across the living room into the bedroom, eyes at half mass. "Lex?" He mumbled. Lexine wasn't on the bed so the next logical step was to check the bathroom. He approached the doorway of light, eyes stinging from the track lights overhead. Lexine sat on the floor, with her legs underneath her. "I'll turn the volume down," He responded automatically.

Lexine looked up at him with red eyes, obscured with tears that ran freely down her face. The alarm that struck his chest was enough to open his eyes to his environment. There was a trail of blood - spotty and thick - leading up to the toilet. Lowering his gaze further he noticed the edge of his foot was right next to where the trail appeared on the threshold of the bathroom. Wide awake, he crossed the distance between them and crouched next to her. "Lex- Lexine, what's wrong? Where are you hurt?"

"I woke up with the cramps. I figured I had to use the bathroom, but when I started pushing…" Her lips parted, trembling slightly. "Gabe, I-I think I need to go to the hospital." Logic connected the dots for him; he started to cast a look toward the toilet, but Lexine stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and a firm shake of her head. He didn't think to ask why.

"Should I ring the doc, or take your there myself?" Lexine shook her head again, at a loss herself. Helping her up Gabe hoisted her off the ground and brought her back to the bedroom. He sat her on the bed, ignoring the pain in his lower back. The sleeve of his right arm came away bloody, unconsciously he tucked it behind him when he saw Lexine's gaze monitoring his body language. He proceeded to tear the room up for the datapad containing the information for her physician. "Where the fuck is it?" There were more articles of clothing on the floor than there answers to his question, Lexine watched him, her mind more focused on the ache below her belly than his search. "Use your RIG. Just call the hospital," She said.

"Right, right. Just hold on, honey," His common sense kicking in, Gabe contacted the hospital. After going through the particulars of her condition, what information she would voluntarily give him, the nurse, a Rachel Tatchet, request that he "fetch" the child from the bathroom and have it ready for transport when medical arrived. He wasn't sure what bothered him more, the arbitrary words used in relation to their child or the completely placid tone she used. "Lex, do you want me to-"

"No, I'll do it," She slid off the edge of the mattress, brushing past him in a brisk walk hindered by the hesitation her right leg. Lexine shut the door, not up for the prying eyes of her husband, and grabbed the wad of toilet paper she discarded on the floor. When the medical team arrived, Lexine pointed them in the direction of the bathroom where the body waited. There were no immediate answers from the group that remained behind; what few were given was primarily tied to a request to visit the hospital for a better assessment of the situation. It wasn't a journey Lexine was up to taking, but if they weren't going to provide the answers to the volley of questions running through her mind then she would have to make it, wouldn't she?

* * *

The luminous environment of Dr. Hodges' office was an affront to her present state of mind. Drawings of the internal system of the human body weren't a thing of curiosity, but a reminder of what she lost.

Rachel Tatchet appeared content with the silence of the patient as she went through the motions of prepping the workspace around her. Her blue eyes would occasionally switch over to Lexine's fixed form on the bed but offered little by way of sympathy. From the point of a view of the sullen woman beside her, Tatchet was 'high class' masquerading behind humble looks.

Her attitude screamed how much she didn't want to be where she was, the smoother than marble features curled into a permanent look of boredom brought on by handling strangers and tragedies she was too detached from. "Dr. Hodges should be with you soon, Mrs. Weller," Tatchet announced after a moment.

Lexine nodded. "Do you know where my husband is?"

"Mr. Weller said something about going to the bathroom. He should be back," Tatchet answered. "Excuse me." The nurse left the room, back straight and hands clasped together in concentration. Lexine wasn't alone for long; Gabe walked through the door a few moments later, a Styrofoam cup in one hand while the other was waving off a girl with lovely brown skin and low-slung pigtail braids and overly pleasant smile. Before she turned away she peeked into the room, eyes uncertain. Feeling a little like an animal on display Lexine glared at her. "Oh! Uh, I'll see you later, yeah?"

"If luck would have it," Gabe answered, his words ringing hollow in spite of his friendly tone. The girl turned quickly and headed down the hall, fidgeting with the bracelet on her wrist. Undaunted by what was obviously an awkward farewell, Gabe resisted the urge to yawn as he moved to sit next to Lexine.

"Who was she?"

"Some girl here to visit her friend," He yawned. "Got his leg caught somewhere down in the engineering sector of the CEC facility." He placed a hand on her back, Lexine leaned forward a little to stretch her muscles, already weary of sitting on the uncomfortable packet they called a bed. "This might be a stupid question, but- are you alright?" Lexine thought to give him a retort that matched the stinging pain in her pelvis. All she could muster was a resigned look that asked him 'what do you think?' Gabe looked in the other direction, getting the message loud and clear.

"Do you know what they did with- her—him?" Lexine asked after a moment.

"I don't know," When she turned to look at him, her eyes wide with impending accusation, he elaborated. "I asked the two guys who took care of her remains; they said one of the nurses took the box from them, said she was going to get it analyzed. Naturally, they don't remember what the woman looked like or what her name might've been."

"They lost the baby?" Her voice was barely above a whisper when she asked. It was then Dr. Hodges chose to make an appearance. His expression was devoid of anything that might've told them he was privy to anything they were thinking about. He regarded Lexine with sympathy. His lips were pressed together as if to prevent himself from speaking out of turn. Using Gabe's shoulder Lexine pulled herself into a better sitting position, prepared to volley her questions at the doctor. "What happened to her?"

"Pardon me?" Dr. Hodges blurted.

"The baby, what happened to the baby?" Lexine repeated.

"Oh! Oh, the fetus- she- it was-" Dr. Hodges paused, fingers gripping the clipboard in his hands. "Mrs. Weller, this may not what you want to hear, but the fetus- the baby had to be disposed of-"

"What did you say?" Gabe actually thought he heard the doctor wrong.

"-There was nothing we could glean from its remains and it was, technically speaking, considered medical waste or hazardous material."

"And you just got rid her and didn't think to tell us?!" Lexine bellowed, tears beginning anew.

"It's standard procedure, but it wasn't my intention to keep this a secret, Mrs. Weller," Dr. Hodges explained. "I came here with every intention of telling you what we did. That and to tell you, from the pre-exam taken prior to your arrival, we could find nothing amiss with your system. This could be a simple case of a natural miscarriage."

Lexine discarded the blanket from her legs and started toward the edge of the bed. For all her rage, she could only move so fast. Gabe climbed out of the seat when her feet pushed at the side of his leg, more surprised that she was willing to move with the discomfort she was still experiencing. "Lexine, what are you doing?" Redundant as the question was the hollow look of rage on her face scared him. "Could you get my clothes?" Lexine dodged his question.

"Lex-"

"Mrs. Weller, I don't-"

"Please, Gabe, I don't want to spend another second here!" Lexine interrupted both of them, one taken by surprise and the other shushed into silence. Gabe turned in a circle in search of her clothes. He found them folded up on the counter just a few inches away. Snatching them off the smooth surface, he proceeded to shrug his jacket off his shoulders, switching the clothes between arms. Lexine took his jacket without comment, pulling it closer around her. "If I have any other problems doctor, I will call you."

"Mrs. Weller, I cannot in good conscience allow you to leave before we've performed the full examination," Dr. Hodges advised. "It could be dangerous."

Lexine didn't care to listen. She started forward with all the intention of exiting through the lobby when Gabe grabbed her by the arm and forced to face him. "Lex, he's right. You have to take the examination."

"No, I don't want to!" She cried, trying to pull away from him. "I don't want anything to do with this man or this hospital!"

"I understand that, I really do," He said, a placating expression playing on his face. "But the doc is right. We need- we need you checked out before you leave." He paused, watching her cheeks flush red from her agitation and her eyes close against her tears. "Please? I don't want to lose you too."

Lexine gritted her teeth against the mixture of pain and rage boiling over inside of her. His words felt like a low blow to be sure, but she begrudgingly admitted that he was right. Without speaking a word, she pushed past him and climbed back onto the bed.

In any other situation, the relief on Dr. Hodges' face would have been almost comical. Now all it did was stir up the urge to punch him and for doing his job, no less. "Thank, you, Mr. Weller-"

"Just get the examination done, then we'll be on our way," Gabe interrupted. "Lex, do you want me to stay?"

Lexine nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Yes, please stay."

* * *

They returned to their apartment floor to the sound of whispers - or rather loud and open conversation. Titan Heights was buzzing. Everyone, including Gibson who resided on the floor below them, wanted to know what happened or knew what happened and wished to extend their sympathies to them. Lexine ducked into the apartment before anyone bold enough to approach them could extend that hand of sympathy.

Gabe followed suit, apologetically accepting whatever "sorry's" were issued before he could lock the door. When he entered the living room, Lexine was already settled on the couch and curled up, Gabe's jacket still around her shoulders. Without incentive he entered their bedroom, eerily silent and stuffy from the smell of what appeared to be disinfectant.

The sheets were missing from the bed, the blood cleaned from the floors. Entering the bathroom there wasn't a trace of her blood or the miscarriage left anywhere, it was as if it never happened. "What the hell?" He whispered. On the counter he found a card, the animated squiggle of a cartoon man with blonde hair, a wink and one thumb extended in appreciation smiled back at him. "Thank you for choosing Titan Station Sweepers. We look forward to servicing you again in the future!" The automated voice jingled. Gabe's brow creased with anxiety. They never called for a cleaning service and he knew Gibson wasn't generous enough to spend his money on an incident he never told him about. Did the hospital do this?

Stepping out of the room, he looked upon Lexine's form. The urgency to tell her what happened was on the tip on his tongue, dying to get out, much like everything else he kept from her. But now was not the time. Stuffing the card in his pocket, he approached the couch. Lexine stared out into space, eyes puffy and rimmed with red and fatigue. Inside the recesses of her mind she could ignore whatever sounds plagued the outside world around her.

She could ignore the look of remorse on Gabe's face when he kneeled in front of her, a hand on her arm. Maybe he was saying something important, his mouth was moving and his eyes were blinking. Yet, all she could think of were the blur of the past few hours; waiting to be given the all clear, not really dealing so much as writhing from the knowledge that her child was gone and in such a way that she couldn't see doctors as humanitarian. Closing her eyes, she felt a fresh trail of tears run down her numb cheeks.

"…Lexine, can you hear me?"

She nodded. "Yes, I can hear you, Gabe. I just- I don't want to talk right now, okay?" Her shoulders trembled from her exhaling slowly against the pain that thrummed up from her lower spine. He paused, taken aback by her reticent response. "Y-yeah, I understand," He murmured. Gabe sat on the edge of the couch, his legs situated right against the coffee table. Lexine scooted back, giving him more space to move on. Leaning back so that he was situated in the corner nearest to her feet made for odd position to be in; he listened to the sounds of her sobs strangled by her own resistance to crying.

"I'm right here if you need me," The sound of his own voice cracking startled him. Lexine looked up from behind her arm, her expression somewhere between surprised and absorbed. "Gabe…" He shifted gaze away from hers and started to get up. It seemed all the incentive she needed. She sat up, muscles flaring up with pain the further upright she got. "Wait, wait, don't- don't go," She reached out and clasped his hand. "I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Lexine," He shook his head. "I- I usually have some really smart thing to say, but my mind's blank. I can't think of anything, except, well-_I'm sorry_." He felt the hiccup of what could've been a laugh or a sob escape him and for the life of him he couldn't figure out what was so hilarious if it was the first. "How about that? That's what- this is all so wrong..." Lexine pulled him back down on the couch. The weight crushing his chest seemed to lift when she wrapped her arms around him, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. He placed his hands over hers and didn't try to stop himself crying right along with her.


	19. Year 2511 III, 05:00AM

**Title:** Year 2511 III

**Prompt:** (05:00/5AM) "Encouraging growth of the psychic self."

* * *

Titan Station's mines were a curious thing of man made ingenuity. For Lexine, they walked the fine line of simulating terra forming on a solid planet yet ran the risk of breaching the hull of the station if the workers weren't careful. Everything about the Titan was mapped out to the finest detail. There wasn't a blueprint of a particular area you couldn't find unless construction wasn't completed.

Standing behind the laser level, Lexine examined the grid mapped out by the system through the panel projected in front of her. So far, she was receiving none of the errors the miners seem to complain about during the drill. Whatever was causing the automatic lockdown of the drill, it certainly wasn't uneven surface or blockage in the mines. "Everything's clear here. How are things on your end, Karrie?" Behind her a woman of her same build and roughly the same age fiddled with the power cell lying on the ground next to the miner's drill that towered over both of them.

The faceless helmet of her engineering suit retracted, it was easy to make the mistake the engineers wearing the suits were exclusively male workers. Karrie was one of the few engineers she'd seen quite often in the Public Sector, working on anything from a malfunctioning door to heavy machinery in the shuttle bays. The funny thing about her casual observation of the woman in action is that she wouldn't learn she was same person that helped her bring Gabe back around after she knocked him out. Karrie glanced up from her work, the shadows under her eyes becoming more prominent in the light of Lexine's flashlight.

She threw her hands up in apparent defeat. "Far as I can, t-the power cells got fried when the driver overtaxed the engine trying to get it started again," Standing up, she gave the cell a kick and sent it tumbling across the ground. "Their junked, so they'll have to postpone their work and replace them or-" She used her hands to mimic a scale falling out of balance. "Remove one from someplace else and use it."

"Well, that's easy, right?"

"More or less," Karrie answered. "Power Cells are practically wholesale items on the Sprawl, nothing rare about them." Lexine gave her shoulders a self-conscious rub, the chill of the mines was really getting to her. "I don't know how miners can work down here, it's creepy and it smells."

"You ask me, they got the cushy job," Karrie smiled. "No one to boss them around, no one complains about their moving too slow, telling them to work faster. I figure it's the same with you. You are a surveyor right? You work with your nose to ground and no one to bother you."

"Not exactly, I still have supervisors I report to, they make sure I'm not goofing off and that my work is being performed properly," Lexine shrugged. "I suppose everyone has that monkey their back." The look of humor on Karrie's face seemed to imply she agreed with that assessment. "C'mon, there's nothing more we can do down here," Lexine, with the simple gesture of her head, proceeded toward the lift. Karrie gave the burnt out power cell one last glance before she joined Lexine. Examining the ceiling of their location, damp and dripping with perspiration, Lexine found her mind wandering back to the places she tucked away in her head.

Memories of her father and Sam Caldwell taking her down below to explore the underbelly of the planet raced through her mind like a film too worn from multiple replays. In the beginning she clung to those memories like prized possessions, not ready to let either of them go. She could barely see their faces anymore in her mind's eye now and part of her wondered if that was for the best.

"You okay?" Karrie asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Lexine managed a shrug. "I just remembered something is all." Tucking her short red hair behind her ears, Karrie pretended to check her plasma cutter twice over before hanging it on her belt. Quiet and observant, there were many things she noticed about Lexine that she didn't necessarily take to heart until her initiation ceremony.

The way she reacted when she realized they wanted her to check out the mines, the hollow look of fear of a place once visited and terribly scarring. Her sullen demeanor as they traveled down into the dark, her hands held the leveling equipment like a potential weapon. The way she said "creepy", like someone who hinted at an underlying message in a puzzle they wanted someone to solve.

Was she that person? It didn't hurt to offer her hand, did it? Turning so that her side faced the entrance of the elevator, she swallowed her anxiety. "Look, I don't mean to be presumptuous," She started, hands moving nervously around her space. "But, if you've got some free time, there's a gathering at the recruitment center at the church tomorrow morning at five. It's for newcomers, a little welcome party so to speak and I thought, maybe, you'd like to come?"

"I—uh, Karrie," Lexine blinked owlishly at her forwardness. "I'm flattered, but I'm not a believer in Unitology." She looked the redhead over once or twice, her imagination running away from her. Karrie looked exhausted, beaten down by more than just her job as an engineer aboard a busy station and she'd seen more than her fair share of Unitologist members at Cassini Towers with the same bone-weary expression.

"Oh, my, I'm sorry," Karrie laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to be rash, Lexine. It's just that you just looked like you could use someone to talk to. I know they're not everyone's cup of tea, but the Unitologists truly helped me find my way. I thought they could help you too."

"I have someone to talk to, don't worry," Lexine informed the engineer. "Thank you for the offer, though."

Once they were back on the surface, Lexine and Karrie parted ways in awkward silence, the conversation past proving to be an elephant too big to brush past after pointing it out. Lexine could count herself among the few fortunate that were never approached by a Unitologist about joining the church despite the frequency in which they broke official station laws and preached just about anywhere they could be heard by the people.

They were a nuisance as far as public peace was concerned, almost no one who wasn't a sympathizer with their cause wanted them around, but their campaign to depict themselves as the victims the totalitarian rule of EarthGov worked a little too well in their favor. She knew it was never a good thing to blanket every single person who followed Unitology with the zealots who worshiped that awful Marker, yet it was hard not to when she saw good people like Karrie converted to their side. Who was to say she wouldn't be tricked into believing like the people who thought humans were born of Space Gods?

She returned her office just before her lunch break. Miranda was standing next to her desk speaking with a security officer rather animatedly, clutching her books to her chest like some school girl. Lexine recognized Gabe immediately from the brown and faded green camouflage design ("Greyfox" he called it); the single Monocle-style visor caught the reflection of simulated sunlight through the large containment windows. She teased him restlessly for customizing his helmet, more so for placing the HUD on the left side of its face.

Gabe took it in stride, willing to admit there was some aspect of vanity at play when he decided he wanted to be told apart from them rest of the security officers aboard the Sprawl. "Monocle-man, you didn't tell me you were coming for a visit," Lexine said, stepping into a hug. The cold surface of the suit prickled her warm skin when Gabe used his free arm to return the given affection. "I was just in the neighborhood, though I'd drop by," He told her. Miranda watched the two of them unveiled envy, smiling pleasantly at the way Lexine's hand ran up and down Gabe's side like second nature. Why couldn't she catch herself a chap worth sticking with? "How were things in the mines, Lexie?" She asked.

"I couldn't find anything wrong, Miranda," Was Lexine's reply. "Whatever's giving them trouble, it's not the surface or anything in the tunnels they're creating. At least, nothing I or the leveler could find." At Miranda's frown, Lexine suggested there might have been a problem with the mining drill. "Engineer Norton, she figures they probably overtaxed it with the workload."

"Hmm, that's certainly a possibility," Miranda agreed, stepping away from the table. "I have to go, let me know when you have your report ready." Lexine nodded and waited until her boss disappeared into her office to speak. "She likes you," She observed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Gabe deadpanned. "You were in the mines? I assumed you didn't want any part of the underground."

"I didn't, but it's where the job took me unfortunately," Lexine pulled away from him and sat on top of her desk. "You'll never believe this, but I got approached by a Unitologist to join them at a welcoming party at the Cassini Towers."

"Are you alright?" At the very mention of Unitologists, Gabe's critical thinking skills tended to fall dormant to his anger. She disliked them as much as the next person, but Gabe's anger seemed to stem from more than the fact that they were Marker-worshiping zealots.

She nodded, taking his hand in hers. "I'm fine, Gabe, don't worry, she only asked because she thought something was bothering me," Her explanation, however, only seemed make him more tense. The security suit's helmet folded down into the collar, revealing the worry lines that creased his face. "Is there something bothering you, Lexine?"

"No, no, nothing's bothering me, Gabe, I promise," She assured him. "I just got a little sad thinking about Sam and my dad in the mines is all." When his expression persisted, she thumbed the wedding band underneath his glove. "It's nothing to fret over." Gabe calmed down a little. His eyes still held a glint of concern but his body language told her he was willing to let the subject drop, trusting her to keep her word. There was a crackle of static from the audio component of his patrol suit, Gabe glanced away from his wife in time to see the RIG video appear and Bartlett's face come up through the static. "Weller, figured I'd find you in Lexine's company," He sighed.

"What can I do for you, Victor?"

"Yeah, there's a disturbance in the asylum at Titan Memorial, a riot of some kind. Need you and Price here on the double," Colonel Bartlett ordered.

"Right," Gabe didn't bother hiding his disappointment from his commanding officer. "I'll be there soon. Weller out." He cut the transmission before Bartlett could object to his behavior. Sparing Lexine a weary smile he leaned forward and gave her chaste kiss. "I've gotta go, but I'll see you tonight, yeah?"

"You bet," Lexine patted his arm as he headed off. "Be careful!"

"No promises," He called back.


	20. Year 2511 VIII, 16:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 VIII

**Prompt:** (16:00/4PM) "Harmony of elements, sticking to schedules."

* * *

Jogging through a hospital with a visible firearm never left him with a comfortable feeling afterward. The frightened or bewildered looks on the faculty's faces gave him enough pauses to try and explain his position, but the increase of security officers the further he got inside the hospital kept him moving.

The psych ward, for perfectly obvious reasons, was located on the literal end of the hospital. All of Alpha team was waiting on each side of the main desk of the psych ward, their guns trained on the entrance of the bathrooms. Not a terribly unusual occurrence were it not for the presence of a particular Director Tiedemann. Something big must have been up with one of the loony's if he was here. "Col. Bartlett, got here as soon as I could," Gabe defaulted to using his friend's title. "Director Tiedemann."

"Sergeant Weller," Tiedemann replied just as cordially.

"'Bout time you got here, Weller. We've got a runner who's locked himself in the bathroom with one of the nurses,"

"How'd he manage that? They all wear straitjackets, right?" And why was Tiedemann here for something as easy as a grab-and-bag?

"Error of judgment on the nurse's part; thought it would be a good idea to give his arms breathing room for circulation and wound up a hostage," Bartlett explained dryly. Well, there goes her job, Gabe thought to himself. "Why haven't you subdued him, yet? Should be easy enough," Gabe said.

Tiedemann and Bartlett shared an almost secretive look before he received an answer. "Tiedemann's seen Alpha team at work, but he's never been given the opportunity to see Bravo team's commander in action," He said. Gabe was suddenly glad his helmet obscured his expressions from plain sight, though he did nothing to prevent his head from tilting to the side.

Bartlett wanted to show him off for the man who paid for his checks, did he? Fair enough he supposed. "I would've figured my record would've been exemplary enough for the Director," The expression the colonel gave him was cold and withering, this was not what he wanted to hear. "Still," Gabe raised his weapon, clutched the side of the rifle with affection. "Tiedemann wants a show; I can give you one… sir."

"A 'show' is the last thing I want, Sergeant. What I would like, however, is a simple demonstration of your negation skills," Tiedemann replied. "I need that patient alive and unharmed."

He nodded. "Right. Hodgkens, Shehadeh, on me. Let's try not and spoke the yokel, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Gabe." Shehadeh and Hodgkens followed Gabe toward the restroom. The monocle of his helmet zoomed in; a thermal scan of the interior revealed two bodies, warm and moving. The garble of transmission noises caused him to step back when his holographic panel on his suit created vid window.

Staring him in the face (or helmet) was a man holding a male nurse in an armlock, wielding a steel rod in his hand. "Stay away!" He cried. "I need to finish this."

"Finish, what, exactly?" Gabe figure he had nothing to lose with being causal.

The man shook his head. "She needs me- she needs me to make her whole, follow the steps."

Gabe was sure he stood up straighter than he intended, he felt his spine tingle from the sudden decent of eyes on his body. "What is it?" Hodgkens asked.

Lowering his weapon, Gabe pressed a hand to the holographic panel. "I'm going inside-"

"_Before_ you've talked the guy down?"

"-Just back me up on this, alright? If he tries anything, I'll put him in his place." There was an audible scoff from Bartlett in the background. The door opened and despite the protests of everyone behind him, Gabe stepped into the restroom. The room wasn't much for space; large pillars coated in tile and unwashed grime would be easy enough to hide behind or evade capture, taking up the space the showers and toilets didn't. The surface of the tiled floor was slick enough that he could lose his balance if he moved too suddenly.

The patient stood in the corner with nurse at his mercy, his eyes hallowed by the shadows of sleep deprivation and obvious stasis deterioration. 'Make her whole' he said, the words resonated in Gabe's head immediately. The nightmares drenched in rust brown and red, misshapen bodies and Warren Eckhardt's holier-than-thou apparition. So another one of us made out of that place, he thought to himself. The light on his pulse rifle illuminated the ground beneath the man; he flinched away from the spotlight.

"Go away," He hissed.

"I can't do that, you need to let that man go," Gabe said.

"She needs me to make her whole," He repeated. "But- but I can't do that. I don't know how."

"Well, maybe I can help you."

"No, you can't, you don't even know how."

"And how would you know?" Against his better judgment, Gabe allowed his helmet to collapse. The patients face seemed to flicker with familiarity at the mechanical sound. "Who do you work for?"

"Lots of people, but at the moment, CEC. EarthGov," Gabe replied. "I'm a security officer. And yourself?" The patient shrugged his shoulders and loosened his grip on the nurse. "I can't remember. …I can't remember anything. My head's all fucked up." The nurse fell to the ground with an unceremonious yelp; the patient regarded him with a livid expression and pointed to the other end of the bathroom. "Don't ever touch her again," He bared his teeth at the nurse, an open show of aggression that should've given Gabe all reason he needed to open fire on him.

"Hey, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, guy," Gabe replied.

"You didn't see it! You didn't see what he was doing to her," His voice was clumsy, raspy from disuse and the way he pipe hit the side of his leg made Gabe uneasy.

"Weller what the hell are you doing?"

At the sudden turn of the patients head, Gabe switched off the communication on his RIG. The less he heard of Bartlett, the better. The man's distraction allowed the nurse to run off to the other side of the bathroom and exit through the rear doorway. He was out of danger, now all that was left to do was subdue the patient.

"Can you give me a name?"

"They call me Mr. Clarke. Isaac, sometimes," Said Mr. Clarke.

"Name's Gabriel Weller. Friend's call me Gabe, mostly," Gabe kept the light trained on Mr. Clarke, for what little good it did he slowly began to adjust to the intensity. Tilting his head to the side, he pointed the pipe toward him. "She speaks to you too, but you don't understand her. Drives you crazy doesn't?" The idea that this man was insulating the hallucinations were a she made him uncomfortable. His light moved a little to the right, Gabe swallowed against the knot in his throat that prevented him from answering.

"You don't have to say anything, I know," Clarke said, growing ever closer. "She never quite leaves your head once she gets in there. She burrows deep inside and it's only a matter of time before-" He stopped, suddenly very interested in the security guard's features. "I know you, don't I?"

"Can't say I recall meeting you, Isaac," Gabe remarked. Clarke seemed to consider his words for a moment, deliberating over the answer before the pipe swung upward. Gabe barely had time to doge when he realized what happened. The edge of the pipe sliced through the hand he used to block it. Biting back a swear Gabe wasted grabbed the makeshift weapon and twisted his arm upward. Isaac cried out, his arm locked in place and Gabe swung at him.

Clarke recoiled from the blow to the face, fell onto the floor in a daze but was no less motivated to try and reclaim his balance. "Don't move," Gabe trained the pulse rifle on his chest. Isaac froze up like a deer in the headlights, hands trembling as he raised them up in surrender. The door behind him opened and Alpha team flooded inside, weapons trained on the fallen man. Isaac was torn between trying to scurry away and begging the man with the weapon trained on him to let him go. He felt the breath in his body lock itself in his chest when Tiedemann and Bartlett came up on either side of Gabe, their gazes tracking his erratic movement. "That could've gone better, Sergeant," Tiedemann remarked.

"I suppose," Gabe huffed, pressing his fingers over his palm. "Either way, the patient's subdued and the nurse is out of danger." From the look on Tiedemann's face, it was easy to tell the man wasn't pleased with apparent disinterest he was showing towards his 'test'. He looked to Bartlett. "If you don't mind Colonel, I need get my hand checked out."

"Go ahead, but we talk later," Bartlett said. Gabe rolled his eyes, already wanting the day to be over.

"W-wait!" Clarke moved to grab Gabe, but a swift kick to the back from Hodgkens sent him crashing to the ground. It didn't stop him; even as the two guards kept him in place two knees in his back, he continued to try and reach the man walking away. "You hear her voice too, I know it. You know what she wants... but we can't do it."

Bartlett placed a hand on Gabe's shoulder, stopping him cold in his tracks. "What the hell is he mumbling about?" In any other case, Gabe was sure his commanding officer wouldn't ask him were if not for the fact that he turned off his RIG. Sitting on the outside in complete radio silence with the underlying anger of the station director staring him down was a moment of embarrassment Bartlett never wanted to experience again. Gabe turned to regard ward's prisoner, his expression stoic. "I haven't the foggiest idea, Vic," He said. "Excuse me." Gabe continued to move forward, brushing past the security guards eager to join in the kicking party that was about to take place inside the restroom.

* * *

That night, Lexine was surprised to find Gabe home before her, bus with cooking dinner. "What are you doing here?" She asked, dropping her things on the couch. Without saying a word he raised his left hand, eliciting a loud gasp from his wife.

"I swear you do this on purpose!" Lexine snatched his hand away from the handle of the pot and examined the bandage around the palm. "Who did this?"

"An escapee patient, the one Bartlett asked me to help with," Gabe replied.

"How?"

"With a pipe. I had to talk him down," He replied. "It worked; managed subdue him, doc stitched me up and gave me antibiotics. I'll be fine." There were certain ways he said "fine" that tipped Lexine off to his mood on any given day. One day "fine" could actually mean there was nothing bothering him, others it was just a way of deflecting an issue and moving onto other things. Lexine knew it was the latter and not the first this time. His expression was preoccupied, creased with an underlying anxiety that little to do with his injury. "Did something else happen?" Lexine prodded.

He stopped turning the pasta for a moment to sit back against the cabinet, careful not to brush the stove knobs. "Lexine, do you remember the nightmares I told you about?"

Her brow creased. She remembered them; the first two nights of his 'temporary' stay in the apartment were spent waking from his and her own nightmares. He was loud, stomping in and out of the bathroom, to sit in the shower as though he'd just woke from dream that got him excited. Instead she finds out he's using them keep himself awake. He refused to sleep, even when she practically begged him to. "Yes; they sounded horrible."

"That goes without saying," He nodded, "but there was this phrase I always heard. 'Make us whole' or 'Make us whole again', something in that order. At first, I always thought I got it from Karklins who cracked almost as soon as things got bad back when. Then I heard the psych patient say it."

"What?! Did he really?"

"Yes, he kept talking about some 'she' and 'steps', but he definitely said 'she wants me to make her whole'," Gabe met her worried gaze. "Lex, I think he was from the ship."

"Gabe, how is that even possible?" Lexine inquired. "There were no other signs of survivors once we got out. Those ADS canons would've- did blow everyone to kingdom come, coming and going."

"I'm not saying he's definitely from the ship, I said I _think_ he's from the ship," Gabe clarified. "The things he said, how it gets into your head and doesn't let go, it's too much of a coincidence to think otherwise."

"Did you say anything to him about it?"

"Do I look stupid? Of course, I didn't," Gabe turned to face the stove once again. "Poor man's probably drooling in a cell again and I don't want us to end up like him." Setting the wooden spoon on the surface of the stove Gabe moved to retrieve a glass bowl from the cabinet.

"You know, Weller, you don't always have be like that," She said.

He laughed. Weller, now there was name she hadn't used in a few years.

"Be like what?"

"So… _removed_ whenever you know can't do something to help," Lexine clarified.

"Would you feel better if I cried for him?" Honestly, how else was he supposed to feel? When she rolled her eyes, Gabe proceeded to shift the conversation to another topic. "Anyways, the worse thing about the whole situation was Tiedemann."

"The director of the station?" She snatched a noddle from the glass bowl, earning a look of disapproval from the self-appointed cook. "I would've figured you'd love a chance to show off."

"Maybe when I was a twentysomething year old man, now I just want get my job done," Gabe grumbled. "In all seriousness, Lexine, it was like they didn't trust me or something."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"That's what I would like to know," He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and moved toward the fridge next. "Bartlett wasn't incredibly pleased with how blasé I was with Tiedemann, so I've got desk duty every workday at four until my hand heals." The crestfallen expression he gave her was enough to make Lexine laugh. Not unlike her, Gabe was not one for deskwork. He had to be in motion or fall victim to plague of sleep from inactivity.

Walking over to the fridge, she peeked over the door at his profile, a mischievous grin on her lips. "Well, look on the bright side."

"There's a bright side to all of this, eh?"

"You can catch up on a few hours of sleep with no problems."

"Alright, now I know you're just trying get me fired with statements like that."


	21. Year 2511 IX, 17:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 IX

**Prompt:** (17:00/5PM) "Insight to the self; communicating with spiritual guides."

* * *

Scars were a hard thing to go unnoticed when you started sleeping with someone. Their bodies exposed to naked eye and open to visual and physical study, Gabe's scars came in all shapes and sizes. Some faded with time and others remained more permanent fixtures on his body, oddly colored raised skin, a reminder of things past. Lexine's were minimal, but no less prominent, something he rarely noticed unless she forgot to pull the sheet over herself. Lexine's tendency to romanticize the unknown made them a point of interest the first time she saw his.

"What happened there?" Her fingers brushed the lower part of his back on the right side, trailing the rough edges of his keloid. Gabe questioned her proximity, but remained undaunted by her curiosity as he tried to cast a look over his shoulder. The hairs standing up on his back let him know where exactly she was staring.

Unconsciously he pulled his boxers briefs up above the edge of his hip bone, only partially obscuring the old scar that was wide in the middle and became smaller the closer it was to his abdomen, rising just above and old slug. "Nothing exciting," He remarked casually. "I got this covering for Williams on Hornet. I was playing sniper when one of the insurgents came up from behind and took a slice at by back. I couldn't feel a thing down there for weeks and had to lie on my stomach. This one-" he raised his right leg to reveal a diagonal scar that was barely noticeable in comparison with the rest them on his skin.

"-I got from seeker rifle; that's when I was Scorpio 6 with Nate. Most of the other ones you see- on my back-" He made a wild gesture with his arm when he attempted to reach behind him. "-Are shrapnel related. Then there's that one from Eckhardt." It was easy to mistake his nonchalance for dismissive behavior; had she not spent so much time in his company, she would've asked if they still bothered him. He kept the conversation up by deflecting the question onto her. "What about you, you've got any scars?"

Lexine stood flustered for a moment, unsure how to approach the question with a proper answer. "Well, uh, there's this-" She bent her arm so that the front was facing him. "I got this climbing into in an Atlas when I was sixteen." Gabe squinted. "What? This?" He tapped her elbow. She double checked her arm, and then pointed to the crescent mark on her arm. Gabe continued to squint at the scar. He scoffed. "Looks like dirt," He said finally.

She balked. "Dirt?!" Lexine rubbed her arm for extra measure, self-consciously double checking her own memory in the process. The scar remained and though she looked triumphant in her confirmation, Gabe maintained the playful look of skepticism. "Got anything else?" He asked. Lexine turned, tapping her shoulders. Across the tops he could see tiny marks or impressions that hadn't quiet healed properly.

"When did this happen?" He inquired, pressing one thumb against her skin. It looked as though a group of overeager puppies bit her. Lexine rolled her shoulders, swallowing nervously. "In the sewers, when we were on the ship and those things jumped on me," She answered.

Shit, really? He made a noncommittal noise, still looking at the scarring patterns. He'd been jumped on by those fleshy creatures before. Their bite was worse than anything he could think of in recent memory; the best comparison he ever came up with was pins and needles multiplied by a thousand. He complained for hours on end afterward, often eliciting exasperated responses from McNeill whilst down in the sewer system. The fact that Lexine sustained them and never complained impressed him. "Yeah, but, I'm alright now," Lexine turned to face him. "Dr. Howell patched me up while I was with her…" She shook her head.

"The doc was good people," It was all he could really say.

"She really was. I wish we could've saved her," Lexine mumbled.

"Try not to dwell on it," Gabe told her. "We should get dressed. There's no telling who might come in uninvited."

Lexine's mood shifted. She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "In our apartment, Gabe?" At his sheepish shrug she grabbed him by the waistband of his briefs, enticing him to move closer. "The door's locked, who's going try to interrupt us?"

"Gibson?" He volleyed a lame guess. Lexine shook her head and he tried to steady his breath when her thumb grazed his navel. She let them go, smiling when he allowed himself to exhale at the snap of his band against his skin. "You see? Nothing happened," Lexine said. "No interruptions at all."

"You're right, what was I thinking?" He wrapped one arm around Lexine and leaned forward. There were advantages to being just few inches taller than your significant other. Though he initiated it, Lexine's lips captured his in hungry kiss. Her arms wrap around his neck and he hoisted her off the ground, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist.

Stumbling toward the bed Gabe managed to set himself on the edge. He used one arm to try and pull hisself further up on the mattress while the other remained on center of Lexine's back. Difficult, considering the sheets constantly moved under him, halting movement. Lexine extended her legs and used her heels to help him, the best she did was agitate him. He moaned against her lips when she leaned forward against him, his arm slipped out from under him and he fell back on the bed. "Tired already?" Lexine chuckled, rocking back.

"Nah, just lost my balance," Gabe huffed, repositioning his hands on her waist. Lexine's fingers moved across his down his chest, she watched him close his eyes and mumble something to hisself. Moving so that she was positioned right above him, Lexine kissed him and they resumed their extracurricular activities. When all was said and done, Lexine was content to rest on top of him, one hand intertwined with his while the other was tucked between their stomachs.

Gabe was already fast asleep despite his promises to remain awake until at least 5PM - the inability to do "nothing" even on a Saturday compelling him to fight the lazybones in him -, his steady breathing lulling her into the arms of slumber.


	22. Year 2511 IV, 15:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 IV

**Prompt:** (15:00/3PM) "Balancing matters of the body, mind and spirit."

* * *

There was something decidedly empty about going to work when he knew his wife wasn't doing the same. Patrolling the busier sectors of the CEC Facility reminded him of the hours left on his shift. He tried his best to remember not to visit the surveying site because Lexine was still on sick leave. Price kept things interesting for a time, but there was only so much enthusiasm from the corporal he could take before he started tuning him out.

Gabe suggested she take herself to the hospital to figure out the cause of the nausea and fatigue. Lexine, however, figured she caught the flu bug going around the station. A safe assumption, he thought. Checking her temperature revealed nothing remotely amiss aside an above normal temperature. What they couldn't explain were her nosebleeds. She got plenty of rest, practically transformed before his eyes as her diet adjusted to accommodate more fluids and less starchy foods. But, as the last month of January slipped into February, the nagging feeling that her "flu" was getting worse began to grow in Lexine's head. She spent the better part of the first lying next to the toilet, head throbbing and her stomach churning like a stormy sea. The second and third weren't any better; she lay immobile on the bed, crying from discomfort, wherein she finally admitted, "This isn't normal, Gabe."

That morning he called Miranda to tell her Lexine wouldn't come in until she was feeling better. Working on memory alone, Gabe did his best to provide some semblance of comfort for Lexine while she was under the weather. On faith and credentials alone, since the miscarriage, he trusted the word of doctors about seventy percent of the time. But, at a time like this, the unsettling certainty of Lexine's worries was enough incentive to take them straight to the hospital. Unfortunately, her physician couldn't see her until the day after. Reluctantly he headed into work, the necessity of credits reminding him the financial end of their lifestyle needed to be upheld if he was to take care of her properly.

By 3:00PM he was crawling the walls, willing the hands of the clock to move faster. He thought to check up on her then considered she was sleeping. Asking Bartlett for an early day was a definite no-go, the colonel wasn't one for playing favorites or appeasing requests. In fact, he doubled shift time if there wasn't a legitimate reason for departure. Lexine, being sick sounded legitimate enough, but the man liked to take 'legitimate' to an extreme. If she wasn't in need of immediate medical attention, he wasn't going anywhere. The remaining five hours would be a nightmare he conceded, he just wanted to go home and be with Lexine. "Weller, what are you doing, did you hear a word I said?"

"Hear what?" Gabe dragged his feet from off the chair in front of him and sat upright, eyes wide in the effort to appear aware of what Aleef Shehadeh said. Shehadeh blinked, he pointed toward exit of the break room. "We've got the Concourse," He said.

"Again? We just left there," Gabe groaned. Shehadeh shrugged his shoulders, his expression truly apologetic. "Sorry, man, orders are orders," He said.

* * *

Gabe arrived home a little past eight, weary from the repetition in his line of work. Morbid as it was to think, he almost wished something would happen. At least he wouldn't be falling asleep on his feet. The living room was lit dimly by the lamp next to their television. Gabe spotted the wisps of Lexine's hair just slightly above the top of the couch. Locking the door he dragged his feet over to the couch to check on her. Lexine lay on her side, arm tucked under her head, fingers pressed against her scalp.

The blanket of their bed was wrapped about her body, a clear attempt to ward off any chill. The coffee table was decorated with plates of half eaten food and mugs half full with tea, water and hot chocolate. Shrugging his jacket from his shoulders, he proceeded to take care of her dishes.

He scrapped what food he could into the waste disposal and set the plates in the sinks, the mugs were the last to follow, easier to clean than their rounder and larger counterparts. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes for the umpteenth time, he checked on Lexine again. Her eyes were open, red and glassy from sleep. His hand dropped from his face, he smiled against the yawn that threatened to overwhelm him. "Did I wake you?"

She sat up, sure to keep the blanket around her shoulders. "Not really, it was only a nap. Long day?"

"I think I should be asking you that," Lexine smiled at his response. It was hard fighting the urge to climb out of bed and get dressed for work. No matter how horrible she felt, Lexine wanted to be productive and sitting around was the very opposite of her nature. Her mind calculated all the paperwork she would have waiting for her at the desk once this over and mourned early for her hands. Scooting past the space between her legs and the coffee table, Gabe sat down next to her. Shrugging the blanket from her shoulders, she nudged him so he sat forward. Feeding the blanket behind him she moved closer, they simultaneous movement brought the blanket close around their bodies. "How's the headache?"

"Comes and goes, same as the nausea," She replied. "The nosebleeds have stopped, though, so that's something." If you thought a single nail pricking you over the whole box was something, maybe. Gabe reached over to message the back of her neck. Lexine leaned into the warmth of his hand, grateful for his comfort. "I haven't felt this horrible in years," She moaned, leaning back against his hand. "Maybe it is just morning sickness."

"You'd have to be pregnant for that," Gabe reminded her. Lexine shrugged her shoulders. Initially, she was extremely positive that her symptoms were the same she experienced on the _Ishimura_. The crippling headaches, the nausea that made her stomach feel like it was turning in on itself and trying to eat her alive. But that was impossible, she told herself. The derelict ship, a resident of the Sprawl for almost half the time they've been, showed no signs of overturning their new life on the station with the monsters that lurked in vents.

The both of them were reasonably on edge when the ship finally made dock at the station. Everyone was excited that day, crowding around every viewpoint that gave them a glimpse of the ship of legend. It remained dormant, however. Nothing of the hell they ran so far from emerged from the ship and no one was the wiser of what went on. When she asked Miranda for current information on the status of the _Ishimura_, the senior surveyor gave her a strange look. "EarthGov has been pretty quiet about it, but they're in the progress of decontamination," She said.

"Still?" Lexine couldn't hide her surprise. "After all this time?" She remembered the admonishing look the older woman gave her. "Lexie, whatever happened in that ship was pretty horrid. That Isabel character must have done a number on those poor people." Lexine held her tongue, but was thankful for the information. The times Lexine thought she would experience the same awful symptoms currently plaguing her, nothing happened. She never experienced it the first time she became pregnant, let alone when she miscarriaged nine weeks into her trimester. There was nothing of that kind of agony until now and she could only wonder why.

"Maybe I am," She shook her head, pressing a hand to her stomach. "Everything on me hurts, but it's not the flu like I thought. I don't know how, I just do."

"A mother's intuition, perhaps?" Gabe suggested. "My mother always used to say she could hear my thoughts before she knew she was pregnant. Apparently, I told her I was going to be a girl." At his wife's puzzled expression, Gabe just shrugged his shoulders. His mother was an odd bird, but she was typically right on the money about a lot of things, even when you never spoke a word of it.

"You really want me pregnant again," She meant it in jest, her shoulder bumping his arm to facilitate her humor. Gabe's expression was caught somewhere between hopeful and undecided. There were difficulties, learning to move on after losing their child; the torrent of high emotions kept them far apart for a time and frightened of touching each other, but they pushed through it, often confronting one another just dreg up what they were keeping on the inside. "I'd be happy if you were, yeah, but if it isn't something you want, I won't push," He shrugged. "I just want you healthy, Lex."

"I know," She drew lazy circles around his outer thigh to distract herself from the worries culminating in the back of her head. "You never told me how work went."

"Same as always, only crazier," Gabe sighed. "Shehadeh and I were stuck patrolling the Concourse because of multiple disturbances reported. Before that I spent most of my time playing cards and counting the cracks in the wall."

"Sounds like fun," She laughed.

"Yeah, sure, if you like watching spiders."

"Are you hungry? I could fix us something to eat."

"No, not while you're like this," Gabe objected. "Besides, I'm tired and we could both use some rest. We can eat later."

"Well, we're pretty comfortable here," Lexine smiled coyly. "We don't have to move." It was true enough; between the bed and the couch, the two of them spent more time sleeping on the couch together out of pure lethargy. The desire to remain immobile after a hard day's work was a powerful sedative, though there were other suggestions strong enough to uproot them from the couch and onto their mattress. "Nah, let's go sleep on a proper bed for once," Gabe stood up from the couch.

Lexine used his hand to pull herself up, leaving the blanket behind. The blood rushed to her head, her cheeks burned and her vision became spotted. Her knees buckled slightly, she managed to maintain her balance by leaning against Gabe who was quick to wrap his arm around her waist. "Easy, sweetheart, I've got you." By the time they reached the bed, Lexine was all too glad to be lying back down again.

Her back facing him as he undressed, Lexine's hand ventured automatically down to her stomach again. "My appointment's next week, by the way," The reminder made his breath hitch. Flopping down next to her he draped one arm around her waist. "You'll be alright, Lexine," He kissed her shoulder.

She flopped onto her back, turning her head slightly stare at the contour of his face in the darkness. "Easy for you say, you're not sick," Lexine muttered.

"True enough, but whatever happens, I'll be there for you," He said. "However much that means to you."

"It means a lot, actually. Thank you, Gabe," Her fingers caressed his jaw, wishing her stomach didn't hurt so much, she wanted to laugh. Gabe kissed the palm of her hand, lips moving slowly toward her fingers.

"If I really am sick, you're going catch my bug."

"So? We sleep together, I'll get it eventually if that's the case," Was his nonchalant reply.

"I thought we were going to sleep?" His lips poised on the tip of her fingers, Gabe smiled sheepishly.

"Right, forgot about that," Gabe turned on his stomach and buried half his face into the pillow. "Going to sleep now, sweet dreams."

"You too," Lexine turned over onto her side and closed her eyes. Maybe she'd feel better in the morning.


	23. Year 2511 II,1:00AM

**Title:** Year 2511 II

**Prompt:** (11:00/11AM) "Energy directed toward transformations which may have seemed impossible."

* * *

"Hey, you aren't up yet?" Lexine lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, her arm bending as she leaned to the sideways. She ran her hand to up his side. "You're going to be late." She watched his stomach flux, the contours of his ribs coming into view before vanishing just as quickly. His body stretched itself in response to the second wakeup call that morning, fighting the urge to turn over and curl up again.

Gabe opened one eye and smiled sleepily at her, taking in the smell of her soap and lotion. "Work, work, work. All I ever do is work," He yawned. "Good morning." Lexine smiled at his tone, a blend of jovial and sarcastic, and gave his chest a pat. "And to you as well, but, we can't have you slacking on the job, Mr. Weller," She said. "What will the boys at the station think?"

Gabe's right arm came from underneath the covers and he grabbed her by the waist, rolling over onto his left side. "That Mr. Weller is taking some well-deserved time off with this wife, if they know what's good for them," He answered. Lexine let out a squeak of laughter, her legs kicking in the air as he proceeded kiss her jaw. She slapped his arm good-naturedly, "You're so corny, Gabe," She giggled.

Gabe released her from his hold, watching as she rolled to her side of the bed and back onto the floor. "Works in the movies well enough, thought I'd try it at least once," He grinned, climbing out of bed.

"How long is your shift t'day?" She inquired, readjusting her Titan-issued hoodie.

"Uh, about twelve hours, give or take," He answered, watching her collect her bag off the chair across from the bed. "Bartlett's got us scoping out the mines for a disturbance of some sort. Probably just a bunch of kids messing with the miners again. When's your appointment?"

Lexine regarded the digital clock on the wall with some anxiety. "About twelve if Doctor Hodges is in," She answered him finally. She raised her eyes from the ground and turned to look behind her, Gabe was missing from his side of the bed. "Gabe?"

"In the bathroom, sweetheart," Gabe peered past the doorway, a toothbrush in his mouth. "You're not worried are you?"

"Gabe, if the results come out as negative again-"

"They won't, Lexine."

"You said that last time, and the time before that," Lexine retorted, feel a little more than bothered with his brand of relentless optimism. "I know you're just trying to stay positive, but I don't know how you can be so optimistic about this situation, considering the circumstances."

"Look who I got for a wife," He chuckled. "I couldn't exactly be a sour puss with someone as sunny as you, Lex." There was a certain irony about his words that bothered her. Lexine wasn't known for her tempers, but the assumption that she was some dainty flowerchild who couldn't be anything except happy bothered her to know end, especially if Gabe was buying into it. "How can you say that when I'm not being "sunny" about this situation, Gabe?" She asked, pointing herself. "Me, the one who has to go through all of this while you sit and twiddle your fingers."

"Alright, bad choice of words," Gabe's voice was garbled by the toothbrush running amuck in his mouth. He paused to spit the paste accumulating in his mouth into the sink and gripped the sides of the porcelain structure. "I don't mean to belittle you, Lex, but how would you like me to react? If I'm remotely upset, you accuse me of blaming you and if I'm the least bit reassuring, I'm condescending, or worse, minimizing the subject."

"That's not true," She said, watching him stick his head under the facet to rinse his mouth out. "I just want you to listen, not blindly reassure me everything will be alright or fly off the handle when we talk about this. Can't you understand that I'm- just scared, is all?"

"On some level, yes, I try to, but-" He shrugged. "Lex, even if it doesn't work, we can always adopt."

"I know, but- I want to have our child, yours and mine," Lexine moved further into the bathroom and leaned against the wall across from the sink. "That's not so wrong is it?"

"Well, no," He answered. "But it may not be possible, for whatever reason."

Lexine was quiet, seemingly content with watching Gabe shave as she mulled over his words. As far as she knew there weren't any instances of miscarriages or cases of infertility in her family before herself; her mother gave birth to her without complication and lived a relatively healthy and stress free life. Lexine did the same. A surveyor's job, however stressful it could turn out, never pressured her a great deal. Gabe, as far as he knew, was functioning normally. Up until a certain point, Lexine was relatively positive that, when the time came, she could have children and not worry about complications. Reaching over, she pulled on the drawstring of his pants with one hand and wrapped her arm around her stomach.

"Gabe, you don't think what happened on-" Gabe was in the process of pulling the shirt of his uniform over his head when he turned ever so slightly in her direction, his eyes visible over the collar of the shirt. "Absolutely not, don't even think like that," He warned. His shirt resting on his shoulders, Gabe grasped her free hand with both of his. "A lot of weird shit happened then, but I wouldn't give it the pleasure of rendering either of us unproductive. That's just mad."

"Well, it was a mad situation, Gabe," She huffed, leaning against him. "We saw a lot of things that can't possibly be rationalized, who's to say this isn't one of them?" Gabe opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came to him immediately. "Look, Lex, we've both been to at least three different doctors in the last three years. They told me, aside from my age or physical trauma I sustained in the wars, there's nothing physically stopping me from producing semen. They told you there was absolutely nothing wrong you," He scratched the back of his head. "So to speculate what happened three years ago has something to do with this would be crazy."

"Are you saying I'm crazy?" Lexine asked.

"No, I'm saying the scenario you presented is crazy," Gabe replied. "But we've already covered that, haven't we?"

Lexine nodded, but felt no more convinced. All that time spent around an alien life form that altered the very behaviors of the people in its proximity or not, who was to say it didn't alter them in such a way that they couldn't procreate? It was frightening idea, one she liked to dismiss as insane, but after what she'd seen it was hard to rule out any possibility, however improbable. She pressed a kiss to his lips and smiled. "I'll see you tonight," Said Lexine. "Be careful in those mines."

* * *

The Sprawl was unusually animated that morning, especially for 11AM. Of the things he had to physically intervene before he finally managed to climb into his patrol suit, were scraps that appeared to be escalating to violent brawls between children waiting for the tram and bitter lovers were chief among them.

It was funny when Gabe thought about it. By the time he arrived in the CEC facility, most his team looked ready to crawl up the walls for the sport of it. "You took you're time getting here, Weller. Alpha team's already in the mines," Private First Class Eric Webb had long established he enjoyed the show flagrant disregard for the chain of command.

Any chance that gave him the excuse slag Gabe's position as the leader of Bravo Team wasn't one he left unattended. In any other situation, Gabe would set him straight. However, he was in no mood to trade words with him in the slightest show of acknowledgement. His guts were wound up tighter than anything he could describe, his head was buzzing and Lexine's words from their conversation were still bothering him. Cpl. Colin Price punched Webb in the shoulder, his expression one of absolute offense on the behalf of his commanding officer. "Watch your mouth, Private, that's your C.O. -"

"It's fine, Price, we'll deal with it later," Gabe dismissed, his gaze leveling with Webb. "We're needed in the mines, so let's not keep Bartlett and the others waiting, yeah?" Not waiting for an agreement, Gabe's helmet emerged from the collar of his suit, covering his head. He stepped onto the lift, Webb, Price and Kirk Johnson all joined him and the descent into the darkness began. It stood to reason that the tensity he was feeling knotting up in his body was a result of too little sleep and too much caffeine, but there was something about how the lights reflected off the walls that told him differently. The blood-rust color of the lights against the damp stone walls made him uneasy.

"Weller…"

"What?" Gabe turned slightly, his eyes shifting between the three men behind him.

"Didn't say anything, Sarge," Webb replied with a roll of his eyes.

"What do you think we'll find down there?" He heard Kirk inquire, a twinge of humor in his voice.

"Beats me, but, it can't be any worse than what we've been dealing with in the Public Sector, right?" Price responded.

"Man, I still can't believe that fight that broke out in the Concourse," Webb said. "Talk about wild."

"C'mon, Gabe, you can't ignore me forever."

This time he made no move to acknowledge it. Gabe kept his attention focused on the men at his back and his eyes to the front, trying to rationalize the whisper as a symptom of sleep he'd yet to shake from his head. Yet, as they neared the bottom of the shaft, the buzz in his head became louder. One hand flew to the side of his head, the edge of his palm knocked it once, resulting in a burst of static that carried with it garbled voices he couldn't pick apart. What the hell was that?

"It didn't take long, did it?" The track lights began to burn brighter and brighter, he turned toward the sound of the voice he knew all too well and felt his heart drop into his stomach. The staunch and bitter taste of grief coated the back of his throat, he stared at the man leaning against the railing, marred and bloodied by his final encounter with whatever resulted in his severed hand.

Jesus Christ, it was Nathan. Nathan McNeill was standing right across from him.

"My corpse wasn't even cold when it happened, was it?"

McNeill.

"Or was it? Space and all that," Nathan's flashed him an ugly smile, the skin of his lips split from the pressure being applied to his bottom lip. "Only one thing left to do, friend. We've all done it, all for her." Gabe closed his eyes and started to count backward to combat the buzz as it reached its crescendo, high and scratching, like a tram hitting its emergency breaks.

This can't happen. Not now. Not again.

"Sarge? Sergeant Weller," Gabe turned on his heel to meet the blue gaze of Kirk's helmet visor, unable to gauge his expression behind the illuminated mask. Price and Webb were already off the lift, Webb tapping his foot in a show of impatience. This fucking kid, he thought. "Is there something wrong?" Kirk asked.

He turned, McNeill was no longer on the lift, not a sign that he ever was. "No, nothing," He answered after a moment. Gripping his pulse rifle he moved off the lift and checked the location of Bartlett and the others. The guiding blue line twisted and turned a fair distance from them, Weller grimaced at the thought of trucking all that way. "Bartlett, this Weller. We're in the tunnels, do you read me?"

"Weller? 'Bout damn time, man, we've got a situation. Mission status has changed; we got a Code Black in progress-"

"Wait, what? Code Black?"

"Hostiles, sir," Price offered.

"I know, Price! Bartlett-"

"Don't argue, Weller, just get your ass to our waypoint right now! Bartlett out!"

"Shit," Gabe flinched at the sound of gunfire bouncing off the walls and the screech that followed. He could hear Kirk, Webb and Price react, their voices tight and alight with stressed excitement. They wanted to know what the hell made that noise, Gabe had a sinking feeling he knew what it was.


	24. Year 2511 V, 20:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 V

**Prompt:** (20:00/8PM) "Leadership, command and guidance."

* * *

The creature jumped them before the vibrant blue light of the waypoint dissipated. The kneejerk reaction to squeeze the trigger of the pulse rifle acted first, their brains second. The hunchback creature flailed about, more angered than in pain. Swinging its arms it charged directly toward Webber, Kirk and Price. Their reactions were ones he'd seen before. It was the same one he had when he first saw the monster that intended to slice him down the middle in the P-Sec headquarters, the same monster McNeill saved him from.

He put up a good front, hid the fear the both of them shared with dry sarcasm, but he knew better. The fallen corpse stared up at him, its jaws dislocated and wide open, bearing its canine teeth. It was different from the rest; like McNeill there were still bits of its original form hanging from its body, clothes and muscle partially intact despite being torn from the sudden expansion of the flayed body. Stepping away, Gabe turned on the monster as its profile fell into line of sight and fired on its limbs. The spindly arms turned blades flew in different directions in accordance with its arms. What remained of its body fell at the feet of his terrified squad. "What the fuck?!" Price shouted, hysterical. "What the hell was that, man?!"

"Weller, where the hell are you? We're got a swarm of unknown hostiles! We need your help!" Bartlett's voice burst through the static that began to accumulate across the transmission, sending a tremor of fear down Gabe's spine.

"We're almost there, just hold on!" Gabe reported. "Get a move on, they need us."

"But, Sarge-"

Gabe grabbed the boy by the collar and shoved him forward. "Less talking, more running!" Price did as he was told and the others followed suit, Webb taking up the rear while Gabe led them through the mines to Bartlett's position. In the corner of his eye he could twisted shadows moving faster than they could react to their last position, wheezing laughs and screams echoed around them, putrid yellow light moved across the walls nearest to the vents. "They're flanking us, sir!"

"I can see that, Kirk! Just keep moving, aim only at what you can kill and shoot their limbs!"

"Wait- what?!" Webb interjected, firing off a random grenade. A pack of smaller creatures scurried away from his position, howling in rage as their partners limbs scattered across the landscape. "What does that mean, shoot for the limbs?!" Gabe didn't answer him. He couldn't waste another breath trying to tell them anything. He needed to get to Bartlett and Alpha team.

Hollow was the roar that reverberated around the manmade formations that surrounded, a stark contrast to the screams bleeding out against the backdrop of gunfire and ricocheting of the wet stone foundations.

Everyone was quiet, not even Webb could make a crack at anyone's expense. Gabe swallowed repeatedly against the knot in his throat, but it wouldn't yield. There was just no running from this was there? No matter how far away they moved, it would follow them. The voices in his head wouldn't stop, Lexine would be sick for the rest of her life? He should've listened to her and gotten them out of the station the moment the _Ishimura_ docked, but he ignored the little voice in his head just like he was doing now.

Run, his mind was screaming at him, run in the other direction you idiot! He pushed forward, ears high and on alert for every little skitter that echoed around them. "What the hell is that?" Price whispered, his voice trembling.

This was no time to be a hero, he needed to get back to Lexine before he lost the chance. "Better move it, Weller, Lexine's not gonna wait forever," McNeill, of all the bloody times to pop up now and with the most useless advice! "Keep it tight, gentle-"

"I'm only trying to help. Behind you, Weller," Again with the whispering! "McNeill-" Gabe swiveled to the left and got a face full jagged teeth and fingers made talons. The weight monster brought him crashing to the ground, his head collided with the back of his helmet in sync with the ground. Noises blended together with the ringing in his ears, he felt the talons of the creature dig into the padding of his armor and bullets bounce off the ground around him before his chest was being crushed by dead weight. Regaining control of his motor functions, Gabe pushed the dead thing off of him and scrambled to his feet; his helmet collapsed into the collar of his suit, two figures stood in front of him, hands on his shoulder.

"Holy, crap, that was a lot of- what the hell those things were," Kirk muttered, breathless. Gabe had no idea what he was talking about, though one look at the ground would probably tell him that it was loitered with the bodies of misshapen leap-frog humans who just tried to tear his guts from his stomach. He waved a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. We have to keep moving-"

"Negative, Sarge, Bartlett wants us to evacuate the mines," Price said.

"What, what the hell for?" He almost yelled. He -they were almost mauled trying reach Bartlett and now he wanted them to turn back?

As if to answer his question, the exact same screeches and howls bubbled up from the direction they came from, all too eager to pick up the slack where their brethren failed. They were outnumbered four to a hundred thousand. "Shit, nevermind, just move. Get moving, now!"

"Sir, we lost Webb! Something-"

"I don't care! The tunnel! Move," He bellowed and pushed Price forward again. Price and Kirk moved with the speed of men with hellhounds snapping at their feet, Gabe turned and fired a grenade into the darkness before following after what remained of his squad.

* * *

Lexine sat in the doctor's office, her stomach tied in knots. In spite of past history, Dr. Hodges was a relatively harmless man, very nice in the cordial sense of the word. As her obstetrician, he was dedicated to his job, yet he found it in him to be gentle about breaking any sort of news, unwelcome as it may be. Gabe was a constant reminder that information wasn't always going to be cushioned as he never did curb his blunt delivery, but it was nice to receive "softened" information nonetheless.

She liked to think the examination went without a hitch, especially since Hodges' usual chatter died out after the ultrasound, but then he retreated to his desk for longer than a moment and she started to worry. Was there something wrong? Was she sick? Did attempt number two work? Question upon question piled on in her head, she bit her lip in concern. "Dr. Hodges-" The mousy haired man looked up from his datapad with a bewildered expression. He seemed at a loss for a second before he cracked a smile. "Is everything alright?" She probed. "You got really quiet there for a second."

"Oh, everything's fine, Mrs. Weller," Dr. Hodges sat the pad on his thigh and scooted closer to the examination table. "I was checking the previous records, making sure there were no errors on my part. Standard procedure, you understand."

She nodded, more or less.

"Have you experienced any abnormalities in your period?"

"No, not really. I might have missed one three or four weeks ago."

"Anything else?"

"I still experience headaches sometimes, but I figure it's just from stress and a lack of sleep because of work."

"Okay. So, as far as I can tell, everything seems fine. No abnormalities, same as last time, with the exception of one little thing," He said. Lexine blinked, her heart picked up the pace and the worry crawled across her mind like a wildfire.

"One- one thing?" Oh, God, please don't let it be anything life threatening.

"Yes, and I do believe a congratulations is in order," Dr. Hodges smiled. "If I'm not mistaken you are four weeks pregnant."

"What? Really?!" Her voice cracked at the same time her heartbeat jumped again. "Are you serious?"

"Very, congratulations Mrs. Weller."

"…You mean it worked?" She had to be sure about this. Dr. Hodges pattered her knee, professionally proud of her reaction. Lexine nodded numbly with enthusiasm as the news began to sink in. "I'm going have a…"

Dr. Hodges' assistant, Rachel Tatchet, burst into the room, a look of panic about her. "Dr. Hodges, its Mrs. Weller's husband he's-"

It was too late; whatever Tatchet intended to say was silenced by the sudden appearance of her husband through her RIG's video transmission. "Gabe!" She leaned back, taken by surprise. In any other situation she might've smiled, but there was something about his expression that gave him pause. There was a momentary look of relief - as if he hadn't seen her days - but the light eyes dimmed seconds later, looking past her. She shook her head, confused by the sudden call. "What are you doing here…?"

He seemed frozen in his place, his lips poised to speak. His hand came into few, fingers together, the palm facing downward and she saw his mind fly into action. "Honey, I need you to listen me very carefully. I need you to leave there and had straight for our shuttle now." The shuttle? All the way in docking bay LAA23? "What-? Why-" She tried to get a word in, but he pressed on, the fear he so skillfully hidden from her began coming to the light.

"It's back. _They're_ back." Words simple enough to confuse the people present in the room with her hit home immediately. Her chest tightened and the adrenaline began to pump through her veins. "Don't tell anyone, just get moving!" Gabe ordered. Run, the voice in her head agreed with her husband. Run away, Lexine! This wasn't something they joked about, they never made light of the incident that brought them together three years ago. It was too raw, something they still had nightmares about. As his voice intensified, urging her to escape, the quarantine alarms and audio system began to roar overhead. The room was plunged into red and white lights that flickered above their heads.

There was no denying the truth in front of her. Gabe's transmission began to break up, yet she found herself unable to focus on just one thing, her mind and body already preparing for the monsters to crawl out from the vents. "This isn't happening, this can't be happening," The light of her RIG transmission died, Gabe was gone, trapped someplace in the mines where she couldn't reach him. Sliding from the table, she made a move to exit the room. Tatchet blocked her path with a look of absolute authority. "Mrs. Weller-"

"Please, Nurse Tatchet, get out of my way," Lexine commanded.

She remained where she was, steady fast in the belief that she was in the right here. "We have to follow Titan station Civic Order, we can't cause panic-"

"You don't understand, if we don't get out of here, we'll be killed!"

"Lexine, maybe you should calm down-" Dr. Hodges began. I don't have time for this, she thought. Lexine slammed her hand against the holographic panel on the door, Tatchet jumped from the force of the impact, yet she made no moves to step away. It ascended from the floor up into the doorframe. Tatchet moved to expand her barrier, but Lexine would have none of it. Using both hands she shoved the woman square in her chest, knocking her off balance.

"…Emergency: Director Tiedemann has issued a station wide emergency…"

Tatchet stumbled backward wildly, arms flailing. She finally collided against her desk, winded from the blow. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave and so do you," Lexine didn't wait for a response or a cry for security. She bolted through the commotion in the waiting room and headed through the hall crowding from the masses confused and startled by the alarm ringing out over their heads. Doctors, able and disabled patients alike wanted to know what was going on.

"…Please proceed to the nearest evacuation center. Thank you. Emergency: Director Tiedemann…."

If she could get to the shuttle, then everything would be alright.

Security had yet to arrive, as a result the nurses and doctors fell into the preplanned routine of rounding up those who could move into under their own power towards the designated emergency exits in an orderly fashion. Those who couldn't were tended to quickly if they could be placed into wheelchairs or left on the bed in the panic of moving everyone around.

Lexine arrived at the hospital's secondary lobby to find it overcrowded with screaming people trying to reach all available exits - emergency or otherwise noted. "Shit, this can't be happening." The backs of the doctors facing her, Lexine moved towards the crowd, hands in front of her, prepared to move offending bodies out of her way.

Entering the crowd proved more difficult than initially believed. Most wouldn't move out of her way, others were content to ignore her, too wrapped up in their own troubles to play the Good Samaritan for anyone. The tension that filled the room wafted through the crowd, the fears and aggression everyone was feeding on. She reached the semi-center of the crowd as they began push each other forward; she was unable to move from either side.

* * *

In retrospect, taking the gunship was probably not the wisest mode of transportation (who was to say that Bartlett hadn't rigged with an explosive?). It'd been roughly thirty minutes since the order was given and barely twenty since Bartlett tried to ventilate his body with a turret. At this point, Tiedemann was probably aware he was no longer following 'Titan Station Civic Orders', let alone the orders to terminate the "key subjects" he wanted to scrubbed. That was the one thing he loathed about the Sprawl. You were connected and monitored by the higher ups overseeing the station's security, never truly alone in the sense that your business was your own.

Your life was theirs, hook, line and RIG. Hard to believe he called this place home just this morning, the idea of going home at eight night pm now seemed silly to him. Just like he suspected, they were keeping them under surveillance, no doubt waiting for the tiniest slip up and then this happens. Gabe wondered if what was happening around him was intentional or accidental; those things… they didn't show up until someone excavated the Marker from beneath Aegis VII, but where did they find another one? Was it still on the _Ishimura_ when they found it?

"It would certainly explain McNeill and Eckhardt," Gabe muttered, shooting the empty co-pilot chair a sidelong look.

In the distance he could see gunships flying through the cityscape, guiding the panicked shuttles that weren't crashing to safe harbor. Begrudgingly, he thanked whoever was piloting those ships; already the number of people escaping the Sprawl was higher than the escapees from Aegis VII and _Ishimura_. But, would they be allowed returned to a normal life or would they be monitored like him and Lexine?

No one was coming after him, strange enough. He had to wonder just how many security personnel were actually in on the termination order issued against Lexine and the other unknowns. It didn't take a genius to figure why they wanted Lexine terminated; if EarthGov and the Unitologists were working together, then they undoubtedly wanted to study her "gift". Yet, surely he presented a little more of a threat to their clandestine operation than a girl with no apparent fighting skills? Was he just a stupid grunt in Tiedemann's eyes?

"You always did buy into your own hype, Weller," McNeill again; Gabe turned to face his friend. He looked no better than from he last saw him in the mines. The orange and khaki-colored spacesuit bore the rust and blood of the _Ishimura_ like a badge of pride. "I don't suppose you'll go away anytime soon?" He inquired.

McNeill shrugged, his lips bleeding from the mere grin he was making. "Considering that I'm technically not here, I think that's really up to you, isn't it?" Gabe's mouth open and closed, unable to answer his 'friend' back. He was talking to himself - to thin air, like it had the ability to answer back like it was.

The luxury of people he could trust dwindled faster than his own life expectancy. Out of everyone he knew, he always assumed McNeill would be the one to outlive them all. He had everything a story required in a hero; yet, he was dead and Gabe was alive and kicking, the unlikely hero of a nightmare he wanted no part of. From the chaos below, he could only assume Gibson was gone or one of the fortunate to escape. He hoped it was the latter, but the first seemed more likely than anything. And if that was the case, Bartlett could kiss his brown ass if he thought he was going to lie down and take a bullet in the name of his coveted obedience to EarthGov.

His leg was throbbing from being caught the tether lying on the crashing lift in the mines. The slightest bit of pressure made him want to hobble, but he couldn't, he didn't have time. The transformed bodies of the miners and security officers kept him on his feet, his constant awareness distracting his mind from the burning in his leg.

He lost contact with Lexine a while back. Every molecule in his body was now willing to put with the slightest bit of agony if he could get to her faster.

Arriving at the hospital, he engaged the autopilot and grabbed his pulse rifle from off the floor. Slamming his fist against the panel, the doors opened up as the ship aligned itself with the docking platform.

The hospital entrance was a wreck. Spatters of blood were everywhere he looked down toward the space nearest to him and found one particularly tangled form of bodies congealed in a scorpion-esque biomass missing its limbs caught him off guard. He had no idea what it was - other than not human… anymore - but it was dead. Gripping the handle bar he leaned out the ship and prepared hisself for what was to come next. "Lexine, do you read me?"


	25. Year 2511 I, 13:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 I

**Prompt:** (13:00/1PM) "Self-image and personal security."

* * *

The environment of Titan Memorial Hospital deteriorated quicker than anything she witnessed on Aegis VII. The moment Gabe's transmission cut out, the quarantine alarms roared overhead in succession with the sterilize voice announcing foreign substances, Lexine was out of the doctor's office before he could protest to her actions.

Of the things Lexine prioritized as concerns, motion sickness and headaches were at the top of the list. Instead she was running through crowded halls that were a mass of confusion plunged into a pit of flashing lights and spasmodic figures she couldn't discern from human or subhuman.

Gabe, for all the fear she could hear in his voice, remained calm enough to get her own head clear enough to duck into the psych ward. Finding a space without ventilation was a difficulty, the gargled chokes of the dying, hysteric and resurrected hunting for their prey, distracted her more than once. She tried to rid herself of the concern that would hinder a quick exit if she needed to escape the ward. There was nothing she could do for them now. The melody of anguish turned her stomach as she listened to the horror escalate and diminish as the hours passed. Soon the chaos became a murmur she easily put out of her mind for the time being.

They were coming to kill her, that's what Gabe told her. Three years she had to put up with his sporadic contingency plans for escaping the Sprawl if EarthGov decided to change their minds and get rid of them on the assumption that their falsified story could be compromised by their knowledge. Three years she thought he was preparing for something that would never come to pass and then it happens. Worse of all, the reaper searching for her was a familiar face. Victor Bartlett was someone she thought they could trust, what with the way Gabe got on with him. Victor was a hardliner for the rules, but an otherwise laid back and genial man who was always there for them. To think that he would betray three years of friendship baffled her. "Unless that friendship was nothing more than a smokescreen," She mumbled to herself.

Accessing the node on her RIG she checked the time, it was a little after one pm and Gabe was no closer to reaching her than he was half an hour ago. She toyed with the idea of contacting him again only to withdraw her hand. What if he was in the middle of a firefight with those things? The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for his death because she couldn't handle her panic.

Man up, Lexine, you aren't a little girl. Gabe will be here soon-

A flash of light caught her eye. She ducked further against the wall and held her breath. The light was obscured by the approach of another man, dressed in padded white clothing. "You're sure this is the place?" One of them asked. "Positive, she is here," The other answered, his voice smooth and cultured. Lexine's brow furrowed, they were far too calm for people stuck in a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. She watched them browse through the room a little more, picking up clipboards and inspect beds before moving on to another room.

She waited until she was sure they were far enough away from her to exhale. Her heart pumped hard against her chest, they hadn't bothered to check her particular area, but the chances that they wouldn't were slim to none. Stepping out from her hiding space, she hurried the way they came, careful to keep low to the ground. It was a risk, exposing herself when she knew what was lurking in the halls, but one she hoped would pay off. She slipped into a doctor's office, untouched by the chaos and unfortunately occupied with at least one vent.

Biting the edge of her lip, she stepped toward the doorway, cracked ever slightly open from where she didn't close it. The light of the two men spilled across the floor, she ducked away from the door and pressed herself up against the corner, a hand on her chest. Closing her eyes she fiddled with the ring on her finger and focused on slowing her breath. She tried to focus on Gabe, the sound of his voice, what he might've told her in a situation like this.

"… Please hurry."


	26. Year 2511 VI, 23:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 VI

**Prompt:** (23:00/11PM) "Coping with drastic change in a positive manner."

* * *

**1. Penumbra**

These men were not human. Everytime Lexine felt they were getting remotely close to her position, she felt she needed to move. There was no place for her to relocate however, their flashlight would graze the wall just above her head, but they never seemed to discover her hiding between the bed and the wall furthest in the corner, masked by a privacy curtain.

Arms wrapped around her legs, it was all she could do not to cry. The years Gabe spent teaching her how to defend herself seemed useless here; Lexine could conjure up scenarios in which she crawled out through the darkness and attack them with all the effortless grace she'd seen in the movies. Caution, however, warned her not expose herself unless necessary.

If they were EarthGov, they should've been able to locate her with fixing onto her RIG's signal. An ugly truth she repeatedly ignored in order to contact her husband. They'd never really gone over the protocol for which channels to use should an issue like this arise. If they were successful in escaping, preliminary colonies seemed split between Kostantiniyye, Nausicaa or somewhere outside of EarthGov space (which meant pirates and outlaws). The idea was that they would able to reach the shuttle before anyone a part of EarthGov could grab them.

The idea was that they would be together when this landed on their doorstep. Instead they were separated by miles and miles of civilian terrain more than likely overpopulated by those things now. Gabe was as capable as the next man with a gun, but she'd seen how quickly the creatures overpowered the most experienced soldier. The sounds of their agonized cries as she sat curled up in a corner of the P-Sec headquarters echoed through her head as a reminder.

The fear of not knowing where he was gnawed at her with more urgency than the risk of bringing danger down on either of their heads and so she raised her wrist to her lips and contacted his RIG. The transmission was open, on the other end she could hear the low thrum of hospital equipment and his shaky breathing. He was alive! Her heart swelled, the flashlight shone overhead again, the beam of light was weaker and farther away from her present position. What did they want? "Gabe, they've almost found me. They're looking for me!" She whispered.

"Lex, it's not safe to use this channel. Vic is tracking you with it," Though his voice betrayed no panic, the urgency nor the warning was missed. Silently, she cursed her impatience, knowing she exposed both of them to Bartlett again. "Who's tracking you, other soldiers?"

"No, it's the men in white! They're, I dunno, they're different," It was incredibly vague information, the personification of all she really knew about the strangers that danced far too close to her hiding places to be mere coincidence. At this point it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to believe they were simply playing with her, waiting for her spring out into the open like a mouse.

"Thanks for call, Lex. I'll be there soon," The edge in Bartlett's voice startled her. He was listening the entire time?!

"You'll be _fucking_ dead! …Hold on honey, I'm almost there."

The exchange terrified her in more ways than one. The collected certainty of Bartlett versus Gabe's explosive response showed just who had control over the situation and it wasn't the latter party. On top of almost giving her position away to the returning strangers, Gabe's temperament was suddenly the very opposite of reassuring. The doubt she felt growing in the back of her mind bloomed. He was angry and when he was angry, Gabe did not operate as efficiently as he'd like to think. Pressing herself further into the corner she could nothing except smother shallow breaths and hope no one got to her before Gabe.

* * *

**2. Run and Hide**

"Lex," The whisper was short and high. In the midst of panic, she moved too quickly. Her arm bumped the curtain next to her, the flashlight in front of it. Her pupils dilated in response to the amount of light that flooded her vision, she gasped, throwing her arm up to protect her eyes from the sting of the light. The curtain was thrown back, she ducked underneath the hospital bed, her arms collided with the ground with a resounding slap and she tried to crawl away from the man who pulled frantically on her pants leg.

The air in her lungs were caught in her throat, she could neither speak nor scream. Her fingers clawed at anything in front of her, knocking the IV stand down. With a yank the man dragged her back across the bed, eliciting a scream loud enough to attract more than unwanted company. "Let go of me!" She cried, legs kicking.

"Calm down, Lex, you realize how much trouble Gabe gave me trying to locate you?" Bartlett's long face, cloaked in shadows, sported a look that could kill. Pulling her leg back she thrust her foot forward, kicking him square in the left side of his face. He cried out as he fell back, Lexine rolled away from the bed and scrambled to her feet, flats slipping on the blood smeared across the floor.

Bartlett recovered, reaching over he grabbed her by the scruff of her hoodie and hauled her back. Lexine fell back with the momentum of her body and swung the weight of to the right. Her elbow collided with his jaw, knocking him off balance again, but only just. She wasted no time positioning herself for another attack. Lexine bolted and ran through asylum as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Lexine!" Her name was a curse on Bartlett's lips. The thunderous footfalls behind her propelled Lexine to move faster. She didn't care if she ran two the men in white, she didn't care if she ran into those creatures. If she could get away from the madman with the gun, get out of this hospital, her chances would be better than in a corner.

Bartlett seemed to be hitting everything in his path, not caring to who heard it. The strength of her heartbeat was awful, the throb so strong she thought she would collapse from a lack of air her lungs were so slow to intake. As she reached the second interior of the asylum, Lexine ran blindly ahead, ignoring the devastation and bodies pinned in the corners of the padded rooms.

Her foot slipped out from under her sending her crashing to the ground. Of all the times! She pulled herself forward, using her hands to push herself up far enough to get her legs out from under her. "C'mere!" Bartlett's arm came out from nowhere, closing the gap between it and her neck. His forearm pressed hard against her windpipe, he hoisted her off the ground in a chokehold, yet moved not forward, but backward. "No! Stop!" She yelled, grabbing his arm. "Get your hands off me!"

"Lexine!" Her heart leapt with a mixture of elation and fear. She looked up. Gabe was standing on the reinforced glass above the room, the orange monocle of his helmet glowing in the dark surrounding him.

"Gabe!"

* * *

**3. Captured**

Bartlett had been afraid of them, demanded to know why they were following him. His answer was given indirectly, throwing the obedient soldier off his guard long enough to incapacitate him with a strange device on their finger. Terrified by what could have been her mortality's end, she crawled up into a corner on a bed, watching the hands off approach to torture as Bartlett crumpled to the ground, his RIG status falling into the red.

They snatched her from the bed, ignoring her pleads to be left alone. The way they spoke of them confused her. 'His purpose is done', 'servants', 'key subjects'; she didn't understand any of it, but as far as the two men were concerned they'd gotten what they wanted. They strolled through the ruined hospital wing dragging her between them, unconcerned with the dangers that lay ahead of them.

The creatures weren't thoughtless as to leave easy prey unattended. They crawled out from behind whatever object hid them from the naked eye, crashed through the ceiling from the vents, yet the strangers remained unbothered by their gangly forms, even when forced to make for the exit a little faster they would like. They would lurch toward them with the intention to turn them inside out only to stumble back, bodies heaving, folding in on itself from pain she never believed they experienced.

Escaping either enemy was not easy as slipping from the clumsy bear grip of Bartlett. They applied enough pressure to her wrist that she couldn't move them, going limp left them exposed to the creatures. They yanked her hard enough to gain control of her upper arm and continued their brisk walk, even in the face of the husband's apparent death.

"Please, let me go, I never did… I never did anything to you people," She didn't know how much more she could take; without any sense of control over her situation, she could do anything except watch Gabe fall out of her sight as he was throttled to death by the tongue some gangly thing that as though he'd been eaten down to the bone, his tattered nurse's attire revealing his former occupation.

The wild yaps and low hisses in the cargo hold, ruined and steeped in signs of a lost struggle, sent a chill down her spine. The strangers continued onward, unconcerned with the shadows slipping behind the crates to observe them better. The entrance to the shuttle bay opened, one dragged her inside while the other shorted out the power cell next to the entrance. Lexine spied what could have been their ship; an EarthGov gunship bearing no recognizable insignias of any kind. "What you did to us is off little importance to us, Lexine Weller," The man holding her said. "What matters is what you could have provided us."

"And now?" She snapped, baffled by the absurdity of his comment. "We never said a word to anyone, not a thing! Why couldn't you people just leave us alone!?"

The stranger made a move to response only to have his partner raised a hand for silence. "There's no point. Come, we must prepare the stasis cham-ugh!" An involuntary scream escaped Lexine at the sight of a spear-like object sticking from the center of his chest. Blood streamed and gushed out from the entry wound in an almost comical feat of indecision. The culprit, one of the flying creatures, crawled out from behind him.

Straddling his upper body it punctured his head and began to convulse violently, acidic fluids of its system filtering up through its thin skin. The only surviving stranger reached for the weapon at his side; automatically, she stamped on his food and grabbed the handle of the Divet at the same time he did. They were locked in a brief battle of wills until another creature made its presence known with a second ambush. Lexine stumbled, the handle of the gun pressing into her skin the harder she gripped it.

Falling back she recovered just quickly and made a dash for the open entrance. The shuttle bay doors were barely open behind her when she heard Gabe's voice again; she turned, the weight of her body throwing her forward from imbalance. "Lexine! Run!" He was only repeating what she already knew to do, but, God, he was alive! The ship's doors closed automatically, she grabbed the bar above her and threw herself into the pilot's seat.

None of the controls were familiar to her, she who was only familiar with survey craft interfaces. She sat in the pilot's seat, listening to the chaos muffled by the thick steel walls. The struggle was brief. What felt like a lifetime to the beat of her throbbing heart, was over in mere minutes – the silence crept around her ears like padding drowning out the terrors. A hand firm on her stomach, she let herself breathe.

* * *

**4. Soldiers who don't have a Grave Post**

She had no idea where this gunship was taking her, she didn't care. If it were to suddenly lose power, Lexine wasn't sure if she could bother herself to hail for help, let alone find out if she could do anything to prevent it.

Why should she? After all, everything she's ever cared about has been torn from her grasp, the only natural conclusion would be follow them to the coveted place beyond the veil. Sitting in the co-pilots seat, Lexine stared into the static of the empty transmission screen, the energy sapped out of her.

She couldn't see him through the view port of the gunship and couldn't bring herself to look upon the face of their tormentors as he fought against them, but she counted on his survival. His suit would protect him from the vacuum, but as she watched the bulkhead seals snap out of place another struggle occurred and her first though was that it was another monster.

Then she heard, "Just… following… orders," Bartlett, in the face of his own death, still wanted to stop them from escaping. She heard the explosion and Gabe's scream, the element of a human enemy returned to the forefront of her mind. The structure of the ship rattled violently then all was silent. Lexine hailed Gabe repeatedly, each "video feed corrupted" she received; every ignored message compounded the stress that built itself around the cavity of her ribcage. Minutes passed in absolute agony, the fear that he might be dead worming its way into her mind.

The reality was much worse; Gabe survived, yet his only commendation for it was dying; he'd suffered some kind of injury from the grenade, one bad enough that he believed he wouldn't make it. Too afraid to move from the pilot's seat, she could do nothing but deny the truth in front of her- even as the creatures swarmed the bay, cut down by his efforts to release the final lockdown on the doors, Lexine refused to believe it.

The gunship launched the moment the vacuum robbed the room of oxygen, every sensory receptor in her body went into a panic at the realization of what was happening in. "Goodbye, Lex. I love you," The words, so often spoken in terms of endearment, were now a final farewell. No matter how loudly she screamed his name, he wouldn't move from the prone position on the floor the hospital.

He was gone, dead because of her. Gabe was hardly the first, but she hoped he would be the last. She was robbed of the opportunity to grow up with her mother, poisoned and bedridden by the ambitions of her profession. Robbed of her father, never to receive any kind closure and the same could be said of Sam on some level.

The likes of people like Howell, McNeill and Gabe, the both of them gave her some kind of solid ground to work on; indirectly or outright, through their actions, thoughts and promises, Lexine saw a light she could grab onto and never let go. None of them deserved the end they received and she could only wonder to whoever lay in the void of the unknown what made her a walking plague to the people she loved?

She knew what Gabe what would have told her, what he had told her. "Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart." A stream of tears ran down her cheeks, she had not the heart to wipe them away. Gabe never believed in the idea that an invisible entity, good or bad, was out to get any particular person. It was too easy to form some type of misinformed self-importance about one's own existence, insignificant in the grander scheme of a trillion life forms. Maybe he was right, maybe it was conceited to think she had something to do with their demise, but what other conclusion was there?

Those men and Bartlett thought her life important enough to terminate and somehow he fit into that equation as well. "You really want to blame anyone for your troubles, blame EarthGov," His voice rang in her head. Whatever hand they had in the destruction of their home, it inevitably fell on their shoulders what happened to everyone aboard that station. The simple minds of the individuals who thought themselves strong enough to mask the truth, like her, would be repeatedly revisited by incidents like this if their luck was a rotten as hers.

"Computer, locate RIG 681392, please," She whispered.

"RIG classification error, unknown serial number," Was the response she received moments later. The pain in her chest swelled tenfold, mingling with her confusion. Leaning back against the chair, Lexine tried to figure out what was going on. Maybe it was simply a figment of her imagination; she never heard his RIG flatline. RIGs, however advanced, did suffer from time delays; maybe he flatlined as soon as the ship shocked out of the system or later? Either way, a RIG was never classified as an unknown, even when the wearer was declared deceased.

Sparing a hand to rub the irritation from her eyes, Lexine used the other to access the navigation unit. A holographic schematic of the ship appeared followed by a spherical projection of a planet she'd never seen before; she sucked in her breath at the particular system it was in.

New Jerusalem was located in the Cygnus system, formerly the home of Aegis VII. Moreover it was massive city turned transport hub. Was this where those men were planning on taking her? The ship launched on automatic in her frenzied attempt to reopen the hatch and get to her husband when the bulkhead doors opened. That lack of knowledge saved her life in the end, now she was being taken someplace she'd never been nor wanted to go.

As her the static in her mind began settle and she allowed herself to think, Lexine remembered the baby. They were going to build a life together with him or her in the middle of, a testament of their future. Now it was only her and the baby. The best she could do was remember what Gabe taught her and keep moving forward. Wiping her face, she continued to try and familiarize herself with the military interface of the ship. "Computer, do you have the time?"

"The time is exactly 23:00 hours, eleven o'clock in the PM," The disembodied voice answered.

"Please let me know when we've arrived at New Jerusalem," Lexine responded.


	27. Year 2511 VII, 21:00PM

**Title:** Year 2511 VII (Alternate Universe)

**Prompt:** (21:00/9PM) "Comprehension of universal truth."

* * *

"Warning: The hospital bulkheads are protected by a stand-alone fuse relay. Please do not tamper with or destroy the fuse relay," Clinical and direct, the disembodied voice commanded the literal doors that decided whether or not they were getting out of the station.

Fucking hell, it was always something. "Lex, the hospital lockdown sealed the bulkheads. I'm going have to force them open manually. Stay in that ship, you don't have a suit for the vacuum."

"But-"

"Don't argue with me, Lexine. Stay in that ship," He cut her off. Alright, the quicker he got this done, the sooner they could leave this place. Positioning himself in front of the box Gabe pulled the panel from fuse box and tossed it aside. Messing with fuses was one of his least favorite things to do, his fingers always ended up on the receiving end of a shock. Reaching up inside, he began to mess with its innards, listening to the garbled hisses of currents popping and colliding with each other as he tried to bypass the flow of energy that kept the bulkhead seals in place. The first pop of electricity saw the first cylinder seal move out of place and the yellow seal swing open to reveal a the manual override. "Almost there, honey," He smiled to himself. His fingers, sweating behind the insulation of gloves, fumbled for the next set of wires.

Gabe, consumed with getting the door open, failed to see the shadow of a man coming up fast behind him. Gabe turned too late to stop the butt of the rifle from hitting him in the head; his body locked up and went limp. On the ground he could only try to get a hold of his swimming vision, he tried to turn and get up, a swift kick to the back sent him crashing to the floor head first. The offending foot rolled him over, his helmet retracted automatically in accordance to his RIG's reading of his stress meter. Bartlett stood over him, the pulse rifle hanging in his hand.

"Vic," The contraction of his commanding officer's name slipped like second nature in spite of their situation. "Don't- don't do this. Please." Victor flashed the sergeant an ugly grin, the left side of his face and eye swollen shut and scarred from some attack. Victor aimed the weapon down at his chest, his foot pressed down firmly into his subordinate's stomach to keep him immobile. "You should've just stayed out of the way, Gabe. All of this, this could've been avoided," There wasn't the slightest pretense of amity in his tone now. Gabe tried to stare him down, the double vision made it difficult to focus on just one of him, however. Gritting his teeth, Gabe grabbed Victor's boot in a futile attempt to retaliate.

"Goodbye, Gabe," Victor pulled the trigger. Gabe heard the rifle go off alongside another weapon. His body was taut with fear. Gabe didn't dare more lest he aggravate the wounds sure to be decorating what was left of his - "Gabe!" Lexine, no! His opened his eyes and turned his head; Lexine stood on the next to the entrance of the gunship, a Divet* clasped between her hands, outfitted in an orange spacesuit*.

Turning his gaze to the right he found Bartlett laying on the ground, a hole in the side of his head, its insides spattered across the ground. Lexine lowered the gun and rushed to Gabe's side. He "Are you alright?" She helped him sit up. Still groggy from the blow to his head, Gabe regarded the head of Bartlett for another moment then turned to Lexine. "I'm fine, I need to-" He paused to shake his head of the fogginess. Lexine wrapped an arm around his and helped to his feet. He stumbled; she ducked underneath his arm and wrapped her free one around his waist. "I've got you," Lexine told him.

No words were spoken between them. The two regarded each other properly for what seemed like the first time in years. How many times did she think she would never get to hold him like this?

The familiar skitter of bony talons and gurgling roars snapped him out of their silent appreciation. Lexine moved them closer to the fuse box. "The ship is on automatic pilot, it started counting down when I press something."

"Can you stop it?"

"No," Her eyes wandered back up to the fuse box. "-You need to finish the override."

"Right, of course," He mumbled. "Get inside the ship. The vacuum's gonna tear us right out of the bay and if there isn't someone inside that ship, it'll leave us."

"You sure?"

"I can stand on my own. Just get moving before they reach us, Lexine," Gabe urged her, pulling out from her protective grasp. Lexine didn't waste another moment double checking with him, she climbed back inside the ship and tried to override the autopilot countdown with a voice command. Gabe spared a glance toward one the vents; they would be coming out of those places if they were anywhere near them. Sticking his hand back up into the box, he mentally retraced his steps before the interruption from Bartlett.

"Auto defense systems online-"

"What?! No! Computer, override autopilot, override autopilot-"

"Turret at fifty percent capability," The disembodied voice of the gunship ignored her. Gabe overheard a slap to the control panel. "You stupid machine," Lexine grumbled. "Gabe, it won't-"

"Keep, trying, Lex!"

The first creature clambered out of the vent screaming, the second bulkhead seal snapped back and revealed the manual override. It was one of the meaner ones, charred, yellowing skin and glowing red eyes. "Fuck," He whispered, trying to time his actions just right. Lexine popped out of the ship and aimed for the limbs of the charging monster. It hit the ground with a resounding thud, sliding to a halt at Gabe's feet. The third bulkhead seal snapped when Gabe beat the override countermeasure. A dozen more creatures crawled out from every vent nearest to their area.

"Gabe, we need to go, now-ah!" The turrets the computer spoke of earlier roared to life and aimed for the swarm of howling child-creatures that meant to swarm the ship. The oversized shells ricocheted off the bay doors, destroying the first two override panels and tearing into the unsuspecting swarm of monsters. Lexine, hunkered down, continued to fire at the creatures closest to them.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Gabe repeated over and over as he fooled about with the fuse box. The fourth bulkhead snapped open and Gabe ducked out of the way of a charging Necromorph as it came barreling toward him. It crashed into the fuse box, electrocuting itself. Grabbing his pulse rifle off the ground Gabe used his kinesis module and fired a stasis chamber into the ground racing toward him and Lexine. They slowed down immediately, without a second thought he fired a grenade and watched their body parts scatter across the deck.

Reloading, he aimed at the third and fourth override panels and destroyed them. The dented door lurched violently, the bulkhead seals slipped away as the ship's engine ignited. "Hold on to some-" The bay doors opened and in an instant the air escaped the room. Lexine screamed when he was sucked forward and dragged across the floor. Hanging onto the handle bar for dear life, she could only watch as he and every creature that survived his attack tumbled out of control into space while the ship followed him, thrusters on full. Gabe knew he barely had sixty seconds before he'd lose consciousness in the vacuum.

The suit helmet shielded his face and he activated his thrusters. "Gabe, hurry up! The ship is about to shock out of the system!" Lexine shouted, her voice garbled by static of their transmission. Not good, he thought. If the ship went into shock and the doors were still open, Lexine wouldn't survive the jump. The force of the propulsion from his gravity boots sent him into a tumble again. Trying to keep his gaze on the gunship, he allowed the weight of his lower half to send him swinging "upward" and locked his legs together and arms at his side.

Necromorphs hurtled past him, growling in frustration as their prey escaped them. The thrusters on the back of his suit fired at last, propelling him toward the ship at top speed. He "turned" and extended one hand to Lexine's. Lexine caught him by the arm, the force of his stop swinging him sideways. The final boost from his boots sent him barreling into the ship, Lexine barely got out of the way in time to avoid being run over.

He landed with a thud. "Close those damn doors!" Lexine did as she was told as Gabe threw himself into the pilot's seat and tried to override the autopilot. The doors began to close at an agonizing pace; Lexine could see the sparks of a rupture in space forming in front of them.

"Lex, that door better be closed," Gabe warned. "I can't stop the jump."

"They're closed," Lexine answered after a moment. The ship depressurized moments after the ship jumped and illuminated the interior with a spectrum of pale light. Gabe stood up, his shoulders slouched. She felt her heart jump when his helmet collapsed into his suit, revealing a sweaty and bruised face.

"Coordinates are set for New Jerusalem, in the Cygnus system," He told her.

"Cygnus system- that's where-"

"Aegis VII was, yeah," Gabe finished for her.

"Can you redirect the ship?"

"Not in shock, no," He told her. Lexine felt her heart lurch and thought to place a hand over her mouth when she realized she still wore a helmet. Gabe closed the distance between them and helped her sit on the floor. Removing her helmet from her head he cupped her face, thumbs wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I'm going to get us out of this, I promise," He said. "Lex-"

"What does it matter, Gabe?" She interjected breathlessly. "Even- even if you get us out one mess, they'll just keep coming after us because of what we saw."

"It matters because of us- because of him or her-" He lowered one hand from her face and placed it on her abdomen. "That baby deserves as much a future as we do and I'm not going to let some arsehole government stop us getting it."

"My dad deserved to live, but doesn't mean he got to, Gabe," Lexine sobbed. "We can't run forever and like you said, you're not always going to be here to protect me- us."

"We aren't running, not in the literal sense- listen to me," Gabe used the hand still preoccupied with her cheek to keep her watery gaze on him. "I can't change the coordinates, but I can switch the planetside destination. There's a city on New Jerusalem, Mount Haven."

"Another old haunt?"

"No, someplace Price told me about, actually," He smiled sadly. "We can switch transports there and if we can't we lay low, ditch the RIGs and find new ones."

"Where does the 'not running' part come in?" Lexine inquired.

"When we get the hell out of EarthGov controlled space," Gabe replied. "I don't know how- or what we'll do, but—" He paused when he felt her hand cover his own and squeeze. "We'll wing it, right?" She finished. Gabe gave her a sort of hapless shrug, a sheepish grin on his lips. "Something like that," He answered. "I'm no superhero, Lexine. If I understand you, you want us to confront the same people who just tried to kill us. You understand that even if we come up with some way to expose them, we might still be killed?"

"What? No, no," Lexine shook her head. "I just don't want- there has to be some way to just avoid them-"

"Pirate and outlaw territory, EarthGov wouldn't risk losing a fleet or a ship in their turf, but it's dangerous, especially in your condition" Gabe explained. "Other than that, it would mean facing them head on, not running."

Lexine seemed to think about he said, her mind at a loss. She didn't necessarily mean become a vigilante from the old panel serials of the twenty 21st century, but at the same time she didn't want to have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life, uproot a way of life just to find some solace with her family. "Well... maybe - maybe we could go into uncharted territory and live," She answered after a moment.

"You can't trust either party to not to bother us, Lex," Gabe said. "EarthGov may not enter their territory, but Pirates and Outlaws have been known to take a credit or two from them for the right price."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Like you said, we'll wing it. I'll get us someplace safe; I will get you and the baby safe. We'll work our way from there, you understand me?" At Lexine's nod, Gabe pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Lex." Lexine returned the show of affection with just as much strength. "I love you, Gabe." He sat next to her, slipping one arm behind her back. Lexine leaned against him, one arm around his waist. Gabe held her until she fell asleep against him. The gears in his mind were turning. He just promised her the universe with the absolute safeguard of their livelihoods. How he was going to make good on that promise was anyone's guess.

"You always did believe your own hype, Gabe," He muttered to himself. He glanced down at his suit's holographic panel, it was a little after 9:00PM.

Where did the time fly?

* * *

**[1]:** Playing _Dead Space 2: Severed_ multiple times got me to thinking the gunship Lexine ducked into wasn't their ship. Like, why would they need a gunship, a vehicle by means is for military use only and not something given to their employees like candy? It more than likely belonged to the Oracles. That said, I'm pretty sure most Dead Space fans know a Divet is a P-Sect Pistol from _Extraction_.

**[2]:** The natural course of logic, of course, would be to assume that all gunships or shuttles have spacesuits inside in the event of an emergency. So why, Gabe would assume Lexine wouldn't have a suit to survive the vacuum (or why she didn't think to look) was more than a likely a narrative-driven decision than anything logically driven (based on my own speculation). Sue me, I'm a little bitter Lexine didn't get an "Action Girl" moment like a Pre-DS3 Ellie Langford.

That said, If I counted right, there's one more prompt that needs to be proofed/uploaded before this story is finally done. I hope everyone who's bothered to check this out has enjoyed this. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I managed to finish this series in a month and a half. Quickest I ever got anything done since, Jesus, 2004.


	28. Epilogue: Night of Solace 22:00PM I

**Title:** Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM I

**Prompt:** (22:00/10PM) "Improving the rational mind, sensibility and clear mindedness."

* * *

**(2508 VII):**

* * *

On her own for the first time since she was on Aegis VII, Lexine often found herself doubting the chances of her survival; laid out on the ground, unconscious with no real memory of how she came to be where she was after the icy dive into the sewer waters, Lexine drifted in and out of consciousness, the roars of pain failing to bring her around. The arrival of Dr. Howell was a Godsend, and arguably the only reason she was still alive. Here was a woman, with no expertise in combat whatsoever, doing a far sight better job than herself in the game of surviving.

The best Lexine could do was suffer the abuse of their tormentors and watch through a pained haze as Howell fought off the brutish animal that hounded them. Watching it fall apart under the repeated abuse afflicted by her ripper blade made Lexine ill, even as her nausea subsided in the event of its death. She hated being unable to help, to physically affect the outcome of their situation beyond ducking for cover. It frustrated her more than the combined efforts of her nausea and headaches.

The idea that she would never see Nathan and the others unsettled her; Howell, however justified she was in making for the shuttle bay, didn't have to deal with the fact that there were three perfectly able-bodied men floating dead in the sewers. It didn't seem likely, yet Howell was so certain they'd been killed by whatever behemoth that lurked in the waters and attacked the catwalk she stood on. So, she followed, followed with gnawing realization that she'd be the only person in their group to survive.

The door blockading their path to the tram opened and Lexine couldn't have been happier to see a pair of faces in her life.

"Holy, shit... Lexine!"

She could imagine her expression was no less bewildered than their own; Eckhardt and Weller stared at her as though they'd seen a ghost, but she didn't care. They were alive! She ran up to Weller, reflexively her arms reached up to trap him in a hug- then she remembered where they stood.

He seemed to lean away from her as if to ask 'what are you doing?', his baffled expression sent her arms back down and away from him, she moved on quickly before he had a chance to question her reaction. She placed a reassuring on Eckhardt's shoulders before running headlong into Nathan. Her heart swelled when he lifted her off the ground and spun her about. Her fears and troubles alleviated, she eagerly complimented and re-introduced them all to Dr. Howell.

Eckhardt's reaction to Catherine put her off and the idea leaving her with the angry CEC executive made her jumpy, yet neither Weller or Nathan were willing to compromise, too comfortable with their routine moving as partners. She didn't know what transpired between the three of them, but the mere fact that Weller trusted Eckhardt with one of his pistols said a great deal about the level of trust he afforded to a mere civilian.

"Are you sure it was a good idea leaving Dr. Howell with Eckhardt? He probably can't hit the broad side of a barn."

"That's funny, coming from you."

"Lay off, Weller. I'm sure she'll be fine, Lex, don't worry," Nathan's assurances should have been enough for her, but in halls of the _Ishimura_, that which was becoming a floating graveyard among the stars, absolutes no longer held the same promise they once did. It wasn't her intention to hold them up; she wanted to get to a shuttle bay as fast as humanly possible.

Yet, the rift between Lexine's actions and what she knew what she should be doing was distinct. Every step she took, she would stop, just for a second, to glance behind her. She should've felt safe, Nathan was right in front of her, ready to defend if necessary; but something was off, she just couldn't scratch it.

Lexine turned again, just to make the number of times she stopped somewhat even and caught the full force of Weller's steely gaze. Inwardly, she flinched, her pulse picked up in preparation for what was coming next. "Would you _stop _doing that? It's driving me mad," Weller's comment seemed to wield enough power to stop Nathan in his tracks. The P-Sec officer turned, his expression mirrored Gabe's; worn thin, taught with a frustration that she was by no means the cause of. "Would you leave her alone? She's not doing anything," Nathan snapped.

"You've got eyes in the back of your head, partner?" Weller retorted, mocking his friend's lack of foresight. "She's been waddling and stopping like a chick in front of me for the last minute or two. I don't think I need to remind you why we need to keep moving."

"No, you don't actually," Nathan stepped right past Lexine as if she wasn't there, his entire being focused on the offending sergeant. "I don't think you're helping matters by jumping on her all the time either. Or have you forgotten every breath wasted on a non-objective also puts us at risk?" They looked like a pair of harried cats sizing each other up; their chests practically touching, Lexine wouldn't be all that surprised if they started slapping each other.

Usually, this was the time she would step in and break up the fight with the strength of her voice; she'd done it once before, serving as the unofficial referee of the group. She had a feeling she knew why they were so trigger sensitive with each other. None of them had slept in what felt like days; emotions were high and simply bound to deteriorate if they were allowed to. Lexine placed a hand on Nathan's arm, hoping it would placate him long enough to see some kind of sense. "Listen, neither of you are being reasonable-"

Weller raised his hands up in what appeared to be surrender, but his expression, fraught with anger, was far from obligating. "You know what, its fine. I'll take the lead, seeing as you don't mind the rear view," Weller brushed past Nathan, deliberately bumping into his shoulder with his own. Lexine exhaled, glad to see the crisis averted, if only momentarily. Weller didn't wait for them to regroup, he pushed ahead with caution, weapon at the ready.

Nathan offered her an apologetic look; he placed one hand over hers and smiled. "C'mon, we're almost outta here," He told her.

"That sounds almost too good to be true," Lexine gave a nervous chuckle as they started walking again. "Dr. Howell was so certain you all were dead after she left. I almost believed it myself."

"I don't blame her. This thing- it was massive, Lex. Even I'm surprised we're alive after fighting it," Nathan said. "Speaking of which, how did you survive? We all thought you were dead, too."

Lexine shook her head. "I don't remember anything after falling in the water, just Dr. Howell finding me. I thought for sure those things ate me alive. Funny how that works out, right?"

"Right," Nathan offered her another smile, this one wearier than the other. "C'mon, let's catch up to Weller, I don't want to be left behind and believe me, he'll leave us behind."

"Weller's not that awful... is he?" She asked, uncertain.

"Depends on the time of day, sweetheart," She jumped. Gabe was standing at the end of the hall, his gaze focused directly on her. Nathan gave his partner a reproving look, one Gabe was content to ignore.

Hands on her hips, Lexine frowned. "That's not very heroic or patriotic of you, Weller," Lexine, despite the front she put on, felt a chill run down at her spine at the mere prospect being left behind.

"If patriotism was all it took to be a hero, we'd all have medals of honor," He shook his head. For whatever reason her words garnered a grin from the sergeant, but it was by no means pleasant. As he moved on, she began to wonder. Terrible as it seemed, her body and mind had become all too accustomed to being accosted by the twisted figures that nestled themselves in the walls and corners of the ship. To think they were going to be someplace where none of this happened was almost too good to be true.

What was life going to be like on the other side, on the side of normalcy again?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Every time I write a lengthy chapter I end up separating into three or four parts. So, this is the final chapter, its just been separated into pieces to accommodate the years its been sectioned off into.


	29. Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM II

**Title:** Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM II

**Prompt:** (22:00/10PM) "Improving the rational mind, sensibility and clear mindedness."

* * *

**(2509 VI) - December**

* * *

Lexine was busying typing up another report, caught up in her own little world, when her immersion was broken by the scent of plant life; flowers specifically. Without warning, a kiss was pressed against her cheek. "Oh," She swiveled in her chair, surprised to find Gabe standing behind her, looking slightly out of sorts with a bow wrapped bouquet of tulips in front of him, in his security suit no less. The elements clashing in front of her eyes were astounding, amusing almost.

Lexine observed the flowers for a moment then allowed herself to smile once she got her eyebrows down from behind her bangs. "Gabe, hi," She stood up and patted him awkwardly on arm. He chose not to acknowledge the motion. Stepping back he extended the hand holding the bouquet to her. "Here, these are for you."

Lexine procured them from his grasp, running her fingertips across the silk texture of their pedals. "Flowers?" She smiled slyly, tucking one foot behind the other. "Coming on a bit strong, aren't we?" Gabe nodded, agreeing with her assessment, teasing as it was. "So, I'm a bit rusty at the not-casual dating thing," He shrugged. "I've been busy with other things."

She tapped his chest with the head of the flowers; Gabe grimaced when he watched a few pedals fall to the ground from her mishandling. "You seem to flirt pretty good for a rust bucket," Lexine continued to tease.

"Flirting is easy, a commitment is a different beast altogether," Gabe reminded her. Lexine supposed. Since that "first date" in the relaxation room, Lexine wasn't sure what to make of their relationship. As the initiator, Gabe was certainly willing to make it work and Lexine was adjusting to the idea of calling Gabe her "boyfriend" odd as the title sounded next to his name.

"Flowers on a third date usually aren't done in this century."

"You know, you're right," He pulled the flowers from her grip and looked toward the approaching woman from the main office. "I'll just give these to Miranda- Miranda!" Lexine felt the blood drain from her face when her boss looked up from the datapad, a smile slowing creeping onto her face with the removal of her glasses. "Yes, what is it, Gabe?"

'Gabe'?! Of all the- since when were they on a first name basis, him and Miranda? Lexine snatched them back and held them close. "No, I didn't say I didn't want them!" Turning her back she stuffed the stems into an empty pencil holder, fanning out their leaves to further exhibit her appreciation. When she turned around Gabe was laughing at her. Miranda approached Lexine's desk, her eyes wandering the security officer's body in open appreciation. "Gabe, was there something you needed?"

Gabe waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, just wanted to say hello," His response was disappointing as demonstrated from the small frown on her face. "Oh… okay," Madison nodded awkwardly and continued on about her way, shoulders a little lower.

"When have you been on such friendly terms with Miss Miranda?" Lexine asked.

"I'm not, but I knew it'd rattle you," Gabe grinned. "Besides, thought you didn't like old fashion tokens of appreciation?"

"I like them just fine- it's just," She shrugged, unsure of how express herself without insult. "Coming from you, I was just taken aback is all." The 'o' shape of his mouth and subsequent creased brow made her smile; Gabe was not as insensitive as he like to play, he knew the things he did or said had some type of impact on her depending on the situation and the same could be said in vice versa as well. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she was embarrassed to be seen with him.

"Look, if this is about my age-"

"Oh, no, no," Lexine's hand fastened itself around his forearm, firm and resolute. She let out a little laugh and allowed herself to smile despite the troubled expression on his face. "Trust me, I haven't the slightest problem with dating a forty eight year old man, that's not a big deal for me," She paused, her thumb tapping the plating of his suit. "It's just- I'm still getting used to this, if you understand me. I mean- I'm enjoying this, but I've spent the longest time thinking- you know, thinking about us on a different level." At the forced chuckle, Lexine shook her head. "Oh, God, I'm not making anything sense, am I?"

"No, no, I follow you," Gabe interjected. "Take it slow. Don't worry. I'll just come as I am next time until we're a little further in this. Does that work for you?"

Lexine nodded. "Y-yeah, yes," She said. "Thank you for hearing me out."

Watching him pretend that he had a call to respond to was the most awkward-but-cute thing in the world. They were going have to talk some more about this, weren't they?

"Smooth, Lexie, really smooth," She muttered to herself.


	30. Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM III

**Title:** Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM III

**Prompt:** (22:00/10PM) "Improving the rational mind, sensibility and clear mindedness."

* * *

**(2510 VIII)**

* * *

Things between them had changed since her miscarriage; whether they intended it or not appeared to matter little. Even with the discomfort she would suffer, neither of them seemed dissuaded with touching each other for quite some time. But without meaning to, she would pull away from him in bed if she knew he was still awake. She started to forbid herself the privilege of closeness, she curled up in a ball and hid. Something as simple as a hand on the shoulder made her flinch, jump like she was being watched. There were times when she woke up and expected to hear a wail, but the slow exhale of her breath reminded her that she never got that far.

Unaware, even to her, the message her husband received from that body language was that she wanted to be left alone, so he kept his distance. They talked to each other as they normally did, but it was different, less passionate, maybe. Gabe shut himself up tighter than an oyster hiding a pearl; he preoccupied himself with some strange mystery concerning the cleaners, slept and ate at odd hours of the day and night. All of which, she realized, never coincided when she was awake or home.

Was he so embarrassed by his breakdown that he couldn't face her? He should've known better by now, she never held him to some ironclad standard of emotional display. He could weep like a child and she'd think no less of him.

Lexine would arrive home from work and find him sitting at the desk, sprawled over paperwork, face down on an open book or datapad. He woke up sore, he went to bed sore. His new ritual was clearly beginning to affect how he functioned at work, otherwise why else would she be getting indirect questions from Bartlett about "how they were doing"? It was a stupid question, of course, but one many felt obligated to ask.

"He's alright, considering…" She stopped herself. "Why? He hasn't been showing up to work?"

"No, no. He's working, but- his performance has been lacking. Price tells me he's been falling asleep on his shifts and, well, he's just not focusing. Are you sure there's nothing going?" In the face of her own doubt she reassured Bartlett that they were "fine", but promised to ask Gabe just to be sure there wasn't a "problem" she wasn't aware of. The colonel was far from convinced, but he dropped the issue. "Just tell the guy to get some sleep, Lex. He's not going to last much longer if he keeps this up."

Miranda, for all her awareness, never seemed to able to take the hint that she didn't want to talk about how she was feeling; she felt like powdered shit. Every particle in her body reacted negatively to the empty space in her womb, the gnawing feeling that there should've been something inside of her now. Six weeks into the aftermath, Lexine still felt particularly sore but her physician was confident that there was nothing wrong with her physically. The mind was an entirely different matter, however.

One day she came home late from work to find the apartment unoccupied and the bedroom a mess; the dresser was lying face down on the ground, bowled over by a supernatural event that sent clothing across the floors and belongings along with them. For a moment she couldn't help but think they'd been robbed, but no place except the bedroom had been affected. Everything was as she remembered.

At her feet lay a text log on the floor next to a datapad. Next to it was a box, labeled with a Gov Sec symbol. Kneeling down, she picked up the text log and datapad from the ground and tapped the surface of the screen. "Computer, locate RIG 681392," She spoke without hesitation. The holographic screen projected by the wristband connected to her RIG appeared. As her RIG searched for Gabe she took a moment to read the contents of the datapad.

* * *

3 MARCH 2510

FROM: LAURA CAPELLI

TO: SGT GABRIEL WELLER

SUBJECT: MISSING PERSONS, WELLER, KAVITA:

Firstly, our apologies for the tardiness of this message; we've been experiencing technical difficulties with the delivery systems on Earth. Secondly, we've received your inquiry on whereabouts of Kavita Weller (née Sharma). Mrs. Weller's last known location was Salt Lake City, roughly ten years ago in 2499, just six months before the second flood of New York City.

Regrettably, news of her recent whereabouts is not pleasant. According to the RIG database for our Earth Government, Mrs. Weller passed away in a women's boarding house on the 5th of June; she was diagnosed with untreated pneumonia. According to the owner of the establishment, they believed it was mere case of the flu. The shelter made the necessary arrangements for a cremation and honored her last wish to be scattered over ground zero of the USG _Arizona_ incident.

We realize as the only surviving member of your immediate family, what a difficult time this will be for you. Mrs. Weller's effects have been forwarded to Titan Station's Government Sector and should arrive within the next twenty one days.

Our sincerest apologies,

Laura Capelli

* * *

Twenty one days since the third of March, the letter was a week old at best. Had he'd just got this? Setting the datapad aside, she checked the text log.

* * *

4 JUNE 2499

PERSONAL JOURNAL: Kavita Weller

It's been far too long since I've seen my son. He never came to his father's funeral, I could not contact anyone in the Earth Government departments who knew of his whereabouts and I'll be damned if I know how to use that infernal RIG directory. It's as if he's disappeared, or worse, joined his father beyond the veil.

Am I the only one left? I should hope not, there are too many things between us that need to be addressed. Perhaps I should not have been so adamant that he not join the military; his father was no help, of course. He was always saying it would guarantee him a future, but what future could he have wielding a weapon? I've seen the boys that return from war. Nothing but broken men maimed and left for dead by their government.

There's no future for him there, but it wasn't my choice to make. I simply want my son home with me now. That is not asking too much, is it?

I've been feeling so tired lately. Mrs. Spellman thinks I over exert myself, but she shouldn't worry.

* * *

The log was the day before her death. Lexine ignored the tears running down her face to open the box. There was barely anything inside of it, just a few pictures, a gold chain embroidered with lavish stones and a multicolored sash. Reaching inside she picked up the photographs; a woman with long flowing hair sitting on a swing in a yard full of lush green grass sat at the top of the pile. Turning it on its side she read the note: "My Kavita, 30TH B-Day." This was Kavita Weller, Lexine thought she was gorgeous.

Pressing a thumb against the smooth surface, she glanced at the other photographs that lay behind it. They ranged from landscapes, women crowded around each other in conversation and two men in uniform. One she recognized as Gabe immediately, wearing a bomber jacket over top his Earth Government uniform, the gray ensemble, brown belt and boots and black yoke signifying the unit he was a part of. The other had to be his father; the uniform was far older than the one Gabe wore. More rough-n-tumble than streamlined. He had the same sharp features and intense gaze. There was a burst of static, Lexine raised her arm and the video screen appeared. The smile of relief died, however, as a woman appeared in place where her husband should've been. "Um, hello, is thing working?"

It was the woman from before, the one with the pigtails. A flash of heat flooded her chest, Lexine glared into the image of the woman as the screen became clearer. "What are you doing with that?"

"I—I just found it here on the way out of the CEC Facility," She said. "It says here it belongs to a G. Weller."

"Oh, God, Gabe," Lexine stood upright. "Where is he?"

"Gabe? The fella I met in the hospital?" When Lexine nodded, the woman's expression was struck with realization. "And you're his wife…" She seemed to bring her attention completely forward, stood a little straighter and stared a little harder. "I-I don't know where he could be."

"Then you- where are you?"

"Near surveying, why-"

"Look, please stay there, I'm coming," Lexine ended the transmission and hurried out of the apartment, box in hand. She might not have thought much about the state of the room before the woman found his RIG; figured if he read the datapad then he was probably of the mind to trash the room in a fit of rage, but the RIG? Well, that said something else entirely; it meant he didn't want to be found and it troubled Lexine that he would even think to remove it. Stepping out of the elevator, Lexine left Titan Heights behind her and made her way to the tram. As usual, given the time of day, the tram station was crowded with people eager to go home or make the late shift. Their very presence made her want to shove them all aside just to get inside, but she couldn't— not if she didn't want to spend the night in prison for unlawful conduct.

"I don't understand why would he leave his RIG like this?" The woman's voice came in over her audio link.

"I don't know, but I've got a theory-" She paused, realizing she didn't know her name.

"Ellie," The woman provided. "You're Lexine?"

"Yes," Lexine answered. "Ellie, could you check the Ob Sec, between the extraction and CEC facility?"

"Oh, God, the observation sector hasn't been used in years. Why would he-" Ellie paused. "You don't think-"

"No, no!" Her reaction startled a few people next to and in front of her. She ignored them. "Gabe isn't like that; he's much too proud to do anything like that. Just, could you check, please?"

There was a sigh on the other end. "Alright, I'll check."

"Thank you, Ellie." Arduously, she shuffled along with the crowd toward the tram's entrance; the voices around her became white noise, scuffles against the floor. When she finally managed to get inside, her impatience foisted itself upon the speed of the tram. Even at its fastest it was moving too slow for her. By the time she reached the CEC Facility, it was merely a point of navigating her way through the halls and elevators to the observation deck and relaxation room; she and Gabe never visited it very often, but she had the route memorized enough that she knew her way around it.

She hoped Gabe was too proud for suicide; the entire time, not since that conversation about their families, Gabe never let her know he was looking for Kavita. Was he scared she'd get his hopes up? What good did it do to hide these things from her?

When she arrived at the observation sector Ellie was standing in front of the relaxation room's doorway, Gabe's jacket hanging over her arm while she fiddled with the wires on the door. "Ellie," Lexine hurried over to her, her chest heaving from her spent breath. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I don't think," Ellie answered. "This door won't open, and considering I've checked everywhere else, I figure your guy's in here." Lexine nodded, agreeing with her assessment. A spark hissed at the woman's fingers, Ellie jumped back with a shake of her fingers. The yellow-orange hologram glowed emerald green, granting them entrance. "Damnit," She suckled her fingers and used the other hand to activate door panel. It opened for a second then closed when Ellie stepped away just a little too fast.

"There-" She shirked the jacket from her arm and handed it to Lexine. "I'll leave you two to it," She said, stepping away from the door. Lexine started to watch her go for a moment then reached out to her. Ellie paused, her arm shivering from the cold touch of her fingers. "What? I don't mean to rude, but I've really got to go and this is none of my business. Kaleb- my friend—he's waiting for me at the Concourse-"

"I know, and I don't mean to hold you up, but when you reach the Concourse, could you please contact Colonel Victor Bartlett?"

Ellie regarded her with some suspicion. "What for?"

"He's a friend, works for Sprawl security. Just tell him Lexine needs him here, alright? He'll understand." The woman known as Ellie looked far overextended beyond her allotted courtesy, but the small nod of her head reaffirmed she would do as she was asked. Lexine squeezed Ellie's arm appreciatively. "Thank you so much," She said. "You'll never hear from me again."

Ellie couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped her as she started forward again. "Right, promises," She tipped her imaginary hat off to the surveyor and headed for the elevator down the hall. Lexine wasted no more time; pressing her hand against the panel again she stepped back and watched the door ascend upward. The room was sparsely illuminated by the moving images of the environment of a home.

Glancing at the walls she recognized the youthful visage of Kavita moving through a hallway immediately. There was no sound, but it was apparent from the expression on her face that she was happy, alive; a complete contrast of the present where she no longer existed. Gabe sat on the floor with his back to the wall. He stared straight at her - not really looking at her in sense, but at something else. "You left the bedroom in a bit of a mess," She wasn't sure why she attempted to be blithe with him. The silence following made her squirm. "Gabe-"

"You were right, she was alive," He said to her. "She was alive for ten years and I never went back to find her."

Lexine closed the distance between them and sat next to him on the floor. He never bothered to move when she looped one arm around his and covered his hand with her own. His attention, however, was piqued when he heard the familiar clatter of a box and datapad. "What are you doing with those?"

Lexine glanced over her shoulder briefly, her chest swelled with uncertainty as his gaze narrowed and focused on nothing except her. "I—I found them, on the floor," She started, uneasy. "Gabe, you tried to find her, you told me so yourself."

"I didn't try hard enough, obviously or I wouldn't be here, would I?" He practically hissed the words, clearly fighting the fit of tears that were threatening to overwhelm him. The breath from his lungs shuttered as he exhaled, he regarded her through the blur of his vision almost accusingly. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I- was worried about you. Ellie, she found your RIG lying on the floor, and I-" He thought for a moment about who she was talking about; he remembered a voice on the other side of the door next to her own, saw a pair of legs when the door opened initially, but couldn't suss out whether or not that was the "Ellie" she was talking about. The chances of running into the pilot from the hospital again seemed astronomically slim. "I thought you wanted to be left alone?"

Lexine shook her head, baffled by his question. "I never said-"

"You didn't have to say it, Lexine," He interjected. "You can say so much without uttering a word." Lexine shifted her gaze to the side. She vaguely remembered the fights her parents would have when she was little; their's was the kind that filled a room up immediately after things quieted down. The tension was so thick between the two of them she couldn't get a word out edge wise about why they were so angry without triggering a negative reaction from them.

They blamed each other for making her feel uncomfortable; Lexine just wanted to know why they were angry sometimes. She and Gabe, while they almost never saw eye-to-eye on everything, she never thought they end up quite like that. Yet, there they were sitting next to each other in a room so thick with unresolved anger she could choke on it. It was a mutual agreement that they wouldn't see a therapist; they didn't want to be hassled with the bills.

That was the reason they gave themselves, but Lexine knew it was more about avoiding the issue that was tearing away at them from the inside. "Gabe," Sitting so that her legs were tucked under her, Lexine tried to get him to look at her. "Gabe, listen to me, you can't blame yourself for this. There was no telling she'd be someplace like that. You said yourself, she didn't have a RIG," Lexine tried to reason with him. Gabe twisted away from her. A hand pressed against the screen he stood and tried to walk; he felt largely disconnected from his body, his kneels nearly buckled when he tried to move further.

The odd shakes that would send a tremor through his arm to hand scared him; it wasn't something he'd experienced since his first tour. The box had come suddenly that morning; instinctively he steeled himself for the worst, yet when he read the letter pertaining to her death, it shook him to the core. He didn't remember much after knocking dresser over; the sense of suffocation that seemed to hound him didn't let up until shrugged his jacket off and found the darkest space he could hide in. "Gabe, this isn't like you," Lexine's voice drifted up from the background, he felt her fingers intertwine with his again, a deft declaration she wouldn't be ignored.

The irony of her words cut him. He half a mind to tell her she knew nothing about him but stopped himself before he could regret speaking. There were far too many times where his insensitive nature demanded she just "get over" crying for the lost souls on Aegis VII. But now that he was faced with a loss himself, after years and years of denying himself the pleasure of hope, that knife in his chest wasn't a pleasant feeling. "She died alone. She died thinking I didn't care what happened," He breathed. "There isn't a single thing I could tell you that justifies why I never went back."

"I'm not asking you to justify anything, no one is," Lexine reproved.

"Yeah, well, it feels like I should," He closed his eyes and proceeded to sink down to the floor. Lexine listened to the uneven pattern of his breathing, fast then slow then fast again and started to worry. "Are you alright?"

"F-fine, it comes and goes," Was Gabe's weary answer as his breath picked up again. "I haven't slept in a day, ate in over eight hours; then this comes along. I'm a wreck, so I figure it's just stress or something." Lexine pressed a hand against his chest; his heart was pounding, her eyes glanced towards his hands; they were clenched and trembling. Reaching down she gripped his free hand with her own. There were a lot of things she could say at this point; perhaps spark an argument long enough to drag whatever he was trying to bottle up out into the open, but she stopped herself.

She'd never met Kavita, her sympathies would probably ring hollow to her son, someone who was presumably close to her. It was another situation where "I'm sorry" wouldn't make a mark of difference, something they were both struggling with since the loss of their child. Casting an eye toward the video playing on the screen; Kavita was sitting on a swing now, legs crossed and her gaze staring out into the distance, only occasionally glancing toward the cameraperson. Swallowing against the knot in her throat, she said, "End video, please." Gabe's head shot up, eyes wide; Kavita disappeared and the lights of the room illuminated the space again. Lexine was taken aback at just how haggard he looked without the shadows to hide him. To say he hadn't slept in a day was putting it nicely. Gabe looked as though he hadn't slept in ages; his skin no longer warm and full looked gaunt and trodden. His gaze shifted to meet hers, he managed a smile. "I must look terrible," He remarked.

Lexine bowed her head. "We should get you home," She started.

"Lexine-"

"Look, don't argue with me," She stood up and gave his arm a gentle yank. He took a moment, but he managed to stand up. Lexine ducked under his arm and wrapped one arm around his waist as soon as his knees startled to buckle. "We are going straight home, and you are going to get some rest, even if I have to sit on you to do it." Gabe didn't offer anything by way of sarcastic response, he just nodded.

Once they retrieved his and his mother's affects, they were on their way out of Observation Sector. Lexine did her best to ignore the erratic breathing pattern of her husband, more for her benefit than his. Gabe seemed only half aware of what was going on, occasionally taking the time to try and breathe through his hitches.

Occupants of the CEC Facility watched them leave, curious or indifferent to the circumstances that brought them there. On the tram, Lexine allowed herself to breathe easy. Gabe was quiet, content to lean against her, but remain upright, the box on his lap clutched firmly in his hands.

* * *

Bartlett wasn't one for house calls. But when a pilot radioed the security station requesting his presence on behalf of Lexine, it wasn't a request he could ignore in good conscience. In transit to the CEC facility, he received a call from Lexine herself. She and Gabe were no longer in the sector and returned home to their apartment in Titan Heights.

The back and forth of it all made him irritable, especially when he remembered there was paper work he needed to attend to and a shift going uncovered by himself. He barely got to tap their door when it opened to reveal a weary Mrs. Weller out of uniform. She hugged him, grateful he'd come all the way to see them. "Victor, please come in," She stepped back, he entered the quiet apartment. Victor gave the apartment a once over, more out of habit than anything, then got down to business. "Where is he?"

"He's sleeping, finally," Lexine answered. "I thought you should know he received word on his mother's whereabouts."

"I know, I was the one that had the Government Sector forward the message to the apartment," Victor said.

That stopped Lexine cold for a moment. "H-how long ago was this?"

"Somewhere around eight last night; I was in a meeting with Director Tiedemann when a courier arrived with a message from the Earth Government message center."

"And you didn't think to warn him?"

"It honestly slipped my mind, Lex. He didn't come to work today. Why, did something happen?"

"I really don't think it's my place to tell you," Lexine started.

"Then, why am I here?" Victor shrugged his shoulders. "Either something happened or it didn't."

Lexine felt like she could swallow her tongue; she had this entire conversation planned out in her head, but nothing was coming out as she expected, the desire to respect Gabe's decision to keep his commanding officer in the dark about the nature of the package acting as a primary blockade. "Six weeks ago, I had a miscarriage," She put forth instead. "I was nine weeks pregnant with our first child and… it just happened."

Victor's expression fell, his arms dropped at his side. "Jesus, I'm sorry, Lex," He told her.

Lexine didn't try to console him. "Everyone is; my boss, myself, Gibson, Gabe. We're all just a sorry bunch of people," She exhaled.

"Gabe- he never said anything."

"I don't expect he would've. Who wants to admit to anything like to a friend?"

"I didn't meant to-"

"I know you don't, Victor," She interjected with a raise of a hand. "The thing is- things have been really hard for us. And that package, well, it doesn't make matters any better. In fact it made them worse. He's completely shut me out, but I need him to talk to me."

"Look, if it's a sabbatical you're asking for, then I'll give it to him," Victor offered. "You should take one yourself."

"Vic, you know as well as I do, that Gabe doesn't take sabbaticals, it was miracle he even decided to take us to Gliese," Lexine shook her head.

"I'll make it an order then," Victor insisted. "Gabe follows orders, knows better than to break them."

Most of the time, she thought to herself. She reframed from voicing her thoughts and nodded. Victor placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a hug; Lex leaned into his embrace, taking the moment completely for herself.

She saw Victor out of the apartment and lingered at the door, hand hovering just above the holographic panel. He hoped they could work things out, if she told everyone else about the root of her moodiness, they would probably say the same. In the dead silence of the apartment Lexine headed back into the kitchen where everything was so clean, so neat and in place. Perfect.

"Just perfect," Her voice wavered as her emotions began boiling in the center of her chest.

Her eyes zeroed in on the green and red "Keep Calm, Stomp On" mugs and her body moved on its own. She snatched them off the edge of the counter and hurtled them toward the wall. Red shattered on impact; green other lost its handle and chipped its rim on the sink. Her hands snatched the dinnerware she left out on the counter within range and started throwing it at the one spot on the wall that seemed to offend her. Glass scattered across the floor, in the sink and on the counter, helpless to stop the sudden bout of rage that possessed her.

Gabe remained asleep, his mother's sash clutched in his hands, lost in his own agony.


	31. Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM IV

**Title:** Epilogue: Night of Solace, 22:00PM IV

**Prompt:** (22:00/10PM) "Improving the rational mind, sensibility and clear mindedness."

* * *

**(2511 X)**

* * *

The entirety of her journey was a trip back into the past, only now there were less three and fewer than two. As a military vehicle, the gunship had less to offer in the way of variety and space. There were no sleeping quarters, there was no bathroom and what little it had to call food were sealed ration packs that were not only guaranteed to taste awful, they were designed that way.

The rationalist would say she had little to complain about; she was alive, her child was safe and that should've been enough to hold her over for what would be a six day journey back into the heart of the Cygnus system. However, if there wasn't more to life than the day-to-day functions of merely living, Lexine could say she was satisfied with the idea of just being "alive". But, she wasn't.

The gunship was prison with a slightly different take on the four walls of a box. She must've sat for days in the pilots chair watching the spectrum of ShockSpace change through the hours. Her body ached in ways she couldn't fathom; the delayed reaction to the wane of adrenaline lost after so many hours of hiding and being scared. Rising from the fixture was a chore, her knees buckled at any given moment, to the point where she was crawling into a corner and wrapping herself up in a blanket to fend off the cold.

Lexine didn't dare touch the communications panel; the paranoia that festered throughout the three years on Titan Station now a full blown creature feeding off her nightmares. There really wasn't anyone she could trust beyond Gabe. Now that he was gone, she had to be careful how and who she interacted with. Interaction, she was beginning to believe, wasn't even a necessity any longer if it wasn't connected to transactions.

Lying on the floor with one of the spacesuits tucked under her head, Lexine's fingers caressed her stomach. Six weeks into a pregnancy didn't offer a lot options as far as conversation went. She (or he) was about the size of a pea, from Lexine's understanding she wasn't exactly developed enough to do much of anything except wiggle. "You can't even hear me under all of this," She whispered to herself one evening. Roaming the small space of the gunship, Lexine had little to occupy her thoughts except nightmares and her wedding band. And that's when it hit her; the scramble to get off the station left her with no worldly possessions.

With the exception of the wedding ring and the clothes on her back, she had nothing to show of the life she spent three years building with Gabe. Her job, that was gone, so were the people she worked with and knew. Miranda could be dead for all she knew, Karrie - the capricious engineer - she may have perished as well. And Ellie, a woman she knew as well as a stranger, she'd fall into that group of doomed persons, too. In the shortest amount of time, she lost two lives; one of relative nativity about the purpose of the CEC being on Aegis VII, the other knowing full well why it was happening again.

When the baby grew up and asked about her life before her, what could she say? "Well, dear, it's a funny story. I used to be surveyor whose planet was attacked by aliens. Strange enough, it happened again when I was living on the Sprawl with your father," Yes, that would make for an interesting bit of conversation. Lexine could imagine her daughter calling the white coats and getting her committed for insanity.

And who knew, maybe she was insane. She didn't have a shred of proof to prove she even lived on Titan Station except the child growing inside her and that would be the person she would try to convince.

The baby would grow up thinking her father abandoned her, or worse, knocked her mother up and left her to the wayside. That's not something she wanted to happen to Gabe's memory, but what she could do to impress upon a child that wasn't the case? Women in love were often seen as the irrational type, her word against society's opinion how they dealt with abandonment. She did not want to be depicted as some kind of victim in need of pity.

The nightmares kept her awake, even sitting in the dark she was afraid of the kind of blackness that came with closing her eyes. Aside from those bat creatures, she'd never seen any of the other monsters first hand, but she heard them. The strangled squeals of the creatures that lurked in the cargo hold, they remained stuck in the maw of her imagination.

The only time she didn't seem to hear them was when she was awake. So she stayed awake, fingers twisting the ring around her finger until the skin around it was so warm it began to sting. Crying was a natural impulse at this point, a combination of her hormones and the emotions she struggled to deal with; confronting the truth often left her sagged and unable to move. Facing it repeatedly elicited long fits of sobbing that didn't seem to stop until she exhausted herself into sleep.

The cycle repeated itself until the gunship dropped out of ShockSpace. "Now arriving at New Jerusalem, Quezon port," Lexine jerked upright at the sound of the computer's voice. The shudder of the ship caused her fingers and toes to curl in against their palms and pads, reflexive reminder that she'd been sitting too long in the seat.

Through the haze of sleep that still flogged her eyes the sunlight of the early morning permeated the cockpit, pulling her further into a state of awareness. Quezon port was a veritable crystalline structure built on the edge of an island. Spanning out across the island much like the width of an arrowhead, the city sized transport hub was the very definition of financial benefit; everything about the surfaces she could see, from the glass structures that wrapped around the primary building to the guiding lights that led to all ships entering and exiting its space to port, spoke of great wealth.

Lexine didn't even remember gaining any clearance to land on the planet, let alone guiding it to this particular port. Glancing down at the panel she realized the gunship set itself on autopilot. Siting straighter in her seat, Lexine patted her face; her skin felt crummy, shifting her jaw reminded her how long it'd been since she'd brushed her teeth. "What time is it?" She inquired.

"The time is approximately 22:00 hours, ten o'clock in the PM, Earth time," Came the clinical response.

"What about now, what time is it now?"

"The time is eight o'clock in the am, Quezon port time," The computer's amended response sent a chill down her spine. Considering her state of mind, the attempt to stay up until the ship dropped out of ShockSpace was fated to be a failed endeavor. Sleep came suddenly and without warning for her now, the broken patterns of rest and lack thereof put her body through the ringer of trying to recover at a reasonable pace.

It was merely a sign that she had to get someplace safe and soon, falling asleep among the general populace in an environment she was unfamiliar with would get her caught. What would Gabe have them do in this situation? It wasn't like before when they first arrived on Titan Station, the government was probably actively looking for her now and there were no old war buddies to stow her away.

The gunship was being guided someplace without her consent. The guiding lights ahead of her brought her around the massive structure of glass and steel; Lexine gripped the arm of the chair as the ship began to descend down closer to the teeming crowds moving through the access tunnels connecting buildings and the idyllic parks atop the smaller buildings. Her heart raced as the ship was taken further and further down into the city toward a more industrial environment, which appeared equally as streamline and pristine.

Below her, she could hear thrusters output minimalizing and rotating to prepare for landing. Rising from the seat, Lexine picked the discarded Divet up from off the co-pilot's chair. The cumbersome back and forth of the ship's body as its weight came to rest upon the landing gear sent her stumbling a little; she swallowed hard against the nervousness and checked the Divet. It was only carrying half a clip, the rest she assumed was on the dead man in white she stole it off of. The seal of the door hissed, Lexine kept her weapon aimed downward as she approached the slowly opening door.

"Is there anyone inside?"

"Yeah, life signs are all reading normal. BP is unusually high, but otherwise normal," Was the response the man received.

"Alright, bring her out," The woman said.

Lexine felt her heart rate go up at the sound of footsteps moving rapidly up the platform the gunship docked at. There was no telling how many people were outside waiting for her; six, three, a dozen? Were they EarthGov? There were only so many people she could take out with a Divet, the rest would get her if she went out hostile and guns blazing. Her emotions were trying to appeal to her flight response, she was being told to run while she still could, but there was no rationale in that line of action.

Swallowing against the knot in her throat, she tried to steady her breathing. The first man came into her line of sight. His uniform was the standard issue Earth Defense Force armor, the expressionless "face" of the helmet likened to a skull, completing the bulky look. A pulse rifle rested comfortably in his hands, there were no other apparent weapons at his disposal.

He turned and leaned back in surprise, startled by the proximity of her body. "Holy, shit!" Instinctively, he aimed his weapon at her. Lexine's breath quickened again and without thinking she raised the Divet and hit him square in the center of his helmet. He stumbled back, more in surprise than genuine harm afflicted. A stray shot fired from his rifle; quicker than she could react, Lexine felt a searing pain slice through her side. She screamed and committed to the movement, Lexine charged him with the full brunt of her body.

They fell over into the corner where the emergency space suits were stored; the man's pulse rifle went flying out of his hand across the floor. "What- the fuck!" Lexine didn't give him another to chance to recover. She pistol whipped him, not once, but three times, as hard as she could. In the face of his disorientation he still managed to throw her off. She fell over, head over heels. Pain exploded in her side, but she tried to ignore it. Scrambling to her feet, Lexine crawled over to the pulse rifle and grabbed it by the handle; the EDF soldier rolled over onto his side in a daze.

Footfalls scrambled up the platform at an alarming rate, before she knew it at least three soldiers crammed themselves inside the ship, their weapons trained on her. "H-hostile, she's hostile," The fallen man tried to relay at the feet of his comrades. The soldier in the center stared her square in the eye; the glowing eyelids of his helmet betrayed none of what he might've been feeling. "No fucking way you get away with this," He snarled at her. Lexine held the Divet in front of her, arms trembling from adrenaline and anger. That man shot her, she was bleeding and there was more than a good chance that she was about lose her life and another baby because of them.

Gabe would've have died for nothing.

"You'll hold your fire until you're given the order to shoot, Markov," The inquiring voice from earlier returned, this time closer. A video screen appeared between the soldiers and Lexine, a woman wearing largely the same uniform as her male peers without the unwieldy helmet.

"She attacked DeWitt, ma'am," The one named Markov declared. "She's hostile."

"The fact remains; you will not harm a hair on Mrs. Weller's head until you're given that express order. Do I make myself clear?" She regarded Lexine with a indifference. "And you. You'll behave or I set the dogs on you."

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Lexine remarked hotly, the pain in her side flaring up despite the automatic administration of the med pack stored in the RIG.

"There's always a choice, Mrs. Weller, and we all choose to make them," The woman answered. "A medevac will be along shortly to escort you to the hospital. In meantime, Markov, get DeWitt on his feet." The look of exasperated disgust on her face was the last thing Lexine saw before the video cut out.

* * *

Things seemed to go from bad to worse for Lexine. They treated her like a sack of dirt, throwing her and jostling her around before allowing her to stumble over to the medevac. Paramedics numbed the pain, allowing her drift in and out of slumber despite the soldiers efforts to make her as uncomfortable as possible. The awkward ride in the hospital shuttle brought them to the district of New Haven and Haven General Hospital. The only marked show of generosity she received from anyone was the nurse who tended to the flesh wound created by the pulse rifle round. Lexine's concern for her child permeated whatever disdain she held for the soldiers that guarded the doorway while the nurse worked on her side, so she focused on that. "Is my baby going to be alright?"

"Don't you worry, Mrs. Weller, you and the baby are perfectly fine, all life signs are nominal. Just remember to keep the bandage fresh and it should heal," The nurse assured her. It did little to reassure her of her future capacity as EDF soldiers stepped aside to allow their commanding officer inside the room. Captain Sadie Miller's mere presence was far more commanding in person than it was behind the static of a video.

She wore a standard EarthGov uniform of a high ranking officer, her hair was put neatly into a bun behind her; her features were hard and bore more than a few marks of her service to the military. The nurse looked uneasily at her. "You're dismissed," It was all she said to him before focusing her attention on Lexine. The nurse could do nothing but leave, offering Lexine an apologetic expression as he departed.

"Ma'am, is there anything you need us to do?" Markov inquired.

"Go prep the shuttle for the prisoner, wait for further orders," Captain Miller responded. The soldier looked slightly taken aback but did as he was asked. He eyed Lexine one last time before he and his unit left. Captain Miller pulled a office chair over and sat down. "So, Weller, is it?"

Lexine chose not to respond, she kept her head down and her eyes seemingly focused on her hands.

"To my understanding there was some kind of incident on Titan Station just over a week ago," She said. "Higher ups won't say much, but according to the logs, you and your husband, Gabriel, were listened among the dead, yet I get orders to attend to a gunship under an unknown license and find you inside. That can't be a coincidence can it?" Miller nudged the woman's foot with her own and still received no response.

"For what it's worth, you have my condolences," She leaned closer, eyebrows knitted together. "Your husband was a good soldier, going solely by his file."

Lexine's eyes shifted up from her lap to meet Miller's condescending expression. "If you plan on killing me, then get on with it."

Miller smiled. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to grant your request; I'm just babysitting until my superiors arrive," She explained. "The Overseer is very interested in speaking with you."

"Is that right?" Lexine replied.

"Absolutely; it's not every day civvies get an audience with the Overseer."

They held each other's gaze for a moment, Miller appearing to be the superior in the staring contest of wills. Suddenly, Lexine's expression shifted; the underlying anger in her expression seemed to face to give way to a more placid exterior. Miller only had to blink to once to miss it; Lexine's hand gripped the scalpel that was sitting on the table beside the bed and in the blink of an eye, she leaned back and swung as hard as she could.

Unfortunately, Miller had the advantage of muscle memory. Her arm went up and blocked Lexine's swing, the scalpel fell from her hand; Lexine lunged forward, her head colliding with Miller's face. The crack of Miller's nose resounded loudly in her ears; the woman fell off the chair and onto her back with a stifled cry. Leaping from the bed Lexine fought the bout of dizziness that made her vision double as she grabbed the clipboard off the table. The words "bitch" and "motherfucker" fell clumsily from Miller's mouth as she struggled to right herself.

Lexine pushed the chair out of her way and drove her foot into the soldier's back. Miller landed directly on her arm, pinning it beneath her chest. Lexine kicked her a second time and hit her upside the head with the clipboard. She used the Captain's back as a launching pad. She stumbled into the hall and collided shoulder first with the wall. The hospital staff, initially weary of the muffled noises from inside the room, regarded Lexine with some shock, some going as far as approaching the room. Detaching the RIG from her hoodie and its corresponding band from around her wrist, Lexine watched it drop to the floor and file through the health stages until the blinking red light simply died.

Doing her best to shake off the buzzing in her head from the headbutt she pushed away from the wall and started down the hall as fast as she could, adrenaline keeping her upright and awake. "Hey- hey, you stop!" She heard a voice bellow. "Security!"

Shite. Lexine started moving faster. She didn't dare cast a look behind her as the doors of the hospital's back parking lot opened up; she capitalized on the frenzy of nurses and doctors following behind a gurney of a screaming man and ran full tilt out the door until there was nothing standing between her certain freedom from her captors.

* * *

Captain Miller was getting the hiding of her life. Markov, DeWitt and the others stood at attention outside the doors of the Overseer's office, eavesdropping on the deadly calm reprove of their commanding officer. "….You lost her. You had the girl in your hands and you lost her," The older man's gravelly voice sent a chill down his spine.

You heard stories about the Overseer, most of them bordered on elementary school tales of horror, when the worst thing to happen to you was getting sent to the principal's office for a slap over the hands with a ruler.

Coming face to face with him as they boarded his shuttle in low orbit, it was easy to mistake his girth, gray hair and wrinkles as an easy target. But there was something about his eyes that made him uncomfortable. "It wasn't as simple as that, sir," Miller replied, her voice altered by her broken nose.

"Oh, no? The security footage protests otherwise, Captain Miller," The Overseer snapped, making them flinch. "I'm disappointed, really. Colonel Halsey spoke highly of you in Mombasa, but I suppose it becomes commonplace to inflate a reputation when the woman simply cannot live up to the mettle."

"Jesus," DeWitt muttered. "He's really tearing into her." Markov could only nod in agreement.

"Sir-"

"You're dismissed, Captain Miller. That is all." There was an unsettling stretch of silence before the doors finally opened. Captain Miller stepped out, one hand on her nose, the other resting at her side. She said nothing to them as they surveyed the knot on her forehead and the obvious bloom of blood on the tissue clamped around her nose. "What now, ma'am?" DeWitt dared to ask. Miller shook her head. "Back planetside, soldier," Was her nasally reply. "Wait for further orders." With a ginger gesture her head she moved toward the ship's umbilicus, they followed after her in silence back to their dropship.

* * *

**(Grafton, orbiting New Carthage):**

* * *

"Project: Oracle" was over before it officially began. With the destruction of Titan Station, Serina Cutter-Williams could only assume the worst scenario occurred and in the face of Tiedemann's almost fanatical assurances he had the situation under control. The Overseer was disappointed; he made that much clear in the personnel-wide letter sent to all key persons.

Subjects, Clarke, Stross and Murdoch-Weller were gone, escaped into the ether of deep space (and more than likely were going to be a task to track down) or dead in the explosion of the station. As a scientist, she had no hand in the heavy lifting that a search would require; as such, her job was more or less done. Now all she had left was the study of other specimen, a pair of poor souls who were only half fortunate to survive the station incident and that was quite literally.

Just a few days ago, a group of soldiers entered her lab without her specific clearance, wheeling in with them two stasis chambers. True to her nature, she snapped at them, wondered where they got off entering her quarters without her express permission. "Orders, doctor. Overseer thought you'd like to see them," One soldier expressed succinctly. "Male, fifty one years, female, thirty five years; both are from the station." That was all the convincing she needed. According to the preliminary, one was a career engineer, the other a soldier, a veteran at that; both had some type of contact with the Markers and thus were a key priority on the matter of its effects.

Adjusting her lab coat, Cutter regarded the life signs of the engineer with mild curiosity. Given the nature of the artifact, neither Markers nor their shards were allowed outside the barrier, yet their brain activity suggested that the signal was being received regardless and causing a significant spike in said activity, particularly in the man.

"Dr. Cutter," Calmly she shifted her gaze toward her wrist band and watched as the symbol for the audio link flicker to life. "How are our patients?"

"As well as can be, considering their present status. Female sustained grievous puncture wounds. She's stable now, but I can only suspect it was the work of one of the creatures. The other, well, it's a miracle he's even alive. Exposure to vacuum, shrapnel and concussive damage from an explosion at close range, a missing limb and second degree burns to the left side of his face; to be frank, he's lucky to _only_ be missing his right leg," She remarked dryly. "Their DNA and blood work is in the database. I could harvest a biological prosthetic from a clone in nine months' time."

"I leave that to you to decide. Just keep them alive," Overseer said. "Now, on the matter of your husband; I understand he was on the station at the time-"

"If it's all the same, I'd rather not speak on the matter of Gunnery Sergeant Williams," Cutter interjected sharply. "I'll report back if there are any changes."

"Very well, see to it that things remain in control on your end. There are already enough blunders in this operation; I don't need you adding to the pack." The audio link cut out, Cutter couldn't help the eyebrow that rose above her bangs. If she didn't know any better she'd been threatened.

* * *

In the fog of adrenaline, Lexine began to wonder where her feet had taken her. For the last fifteen hours her life had reduced to a mere series of quick time events; dodging armored authorities, vehicles and gunship spotlight as they perused her into the heart of the sprawling metropolis.

There were enough scrapes, bruises on her body and sore patches in her throat to last her life time, but if she had to run again, she'd do it without hesitation. What an absolute blunder of a fugitive she was; the muck and grime of the seediest part of the city, Lexine found herself taking shelter behind a dumpster, rubbing her arms to ward off the cold. She had to get off this planet, but there was no chance she was going to approach the transport hub without tripping alarms.

Beside her, a dog that'd lost all luster to his white fur, sniffed about for something to eat. In all her thirty years, if someone told Lexine she would end up in the filth of an alley, running for her life, she would've laughed at them.

Once upon a time she would've dreaded the idea of an unremarkable life, now she yearned just to have the one she had back. EarthGov had taken everything from her; her home, her father, her husband and friends. None of it seemed to matter to them, not if it meant they got they wanted and she had no idea what that was. Holding back a sob she watched as the dog walked gingerly toward her, a little whine of concern followed up by a nudge on the arm.

He had a collar around his neck which meant he belonged to somebody. From the look of him alone he didn't appear to be all that old. Just a pup really; Lexine, against her better judgment, caressed his head. "You lose someone too, boy?" She whispered. The white dog whined again and nudged her leg before raising his neck so that his collar was completely in view.

Angling her head so that she could see the name etched into the leather, Lexine placed a hand on the little bone pendant hanging from the collar. "Hewie, best friend of Lindsay" the distinction between "owner" and "best friend" was clear; whoever Hewie belonged to thought of him as not an animal he or she owned. "Look the pair of us, sitting in a dank alley," She whispered. Hewie titled his head to the side, and stood up. Part of her wanted to tell him to run along, go find his friend Lindsay.

Puling herself off the ground, she did her best to continue ignoring the rancid smell of garbage. Considering her condition, she was surprised she had yet to throw up. Hewie circled around her, curious. "If you somewhere you need to be, please go," Lexine told him. Hewie just looked at her, tail wagging patiently; he wasn't going anywhere.

This could be trouble for her. If the dog was missing and Lindsay was searching for him, the chances of being caught were expeditiously greater if his whereabouts had been broadcast through the city. Exhaling she started forward, hoping if she ignored him long enough he would get the message and find his owner. The night illuminated by neon signs and streets lights looked less welcoming than the dark hall of Titan Memorial Hospital. Touching her wedding ring one last time, Lexine pulled her hoodie over her head, kept her head down and moved forward into the crowd, Hewie following dutifully behind.

* * *

**.END**

* * *

**Author's Note (Afterward):** So, here we are finally at the end. This chapter took longer to proofread than I originally thought it word. That is both good and bad thing. For one it allowed me to change and expand on the shorts that I compiled here; and secondly, Real Life Writes the Plot – and that happens a lot. That said, I want to thank everyone who's reviewed, favorite and followed this story for as long as I've been posting (short period of time as it's been). It really means a lot me :).

**chankljp:** Bartlett's characterization in "Severed" did provide a really interesting foil for Gabe and Lexine (mostly Gabe). I was always under the impression that his concern was largely disingenuous (who shoots at someone while warning them at the same time? Kinda defeats the purpose of a "warning"), stemming more from confidence that he would succeed in reaching Lex before Gabe; that said, their obvious friendship did make for some fun and drama in my fic and I'm incredibly glad that it resonated with you enough that it stuck. It's the little things like the prelude to their marriage that made that a fun chapter to write.

**Guest (2), Guest (1), dahellraider:** Toying around with the backstory for Lexine and Gabe was really fun, especially since the crucial part of their relationship (coming together) was rather breezed for and it really jarred me enough when I first learn of their marriage that I wanted to write something about it. It's the little details from "Dead Space 2" and "Severed" - the Ishimura, Project Oracle, just living in an area that's in the same system as Aegis VII and how they merely deal with the fallout - offered up a lot of ideas for a story. Moreover, I wanted to tackle how the two of them would interact with each other, platonically and romantically and maintain what made them "Gabe" and "Lexine". Hopefully I managed to succeed in my endeavors.

**Awall89:** **a):** Thank you! That is a huge complement considering that this is a first in this particular fandom. **b):** Acknowledging that Dead Space's fanfiction fandom is pretty small, I was sorely disappointed that there were barely four or five stories for the "Extraction" characters, so I felt I should throw my hat into the ring and offer something for at least two of the characters.

**Luis:** Thank you :D.

...Until next time.


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